4
|
Mewes JM, Smits OR, Kresse G, Schwerdtfeger P. Copernicium: A Relativistic Noble Liquid. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:17964-17968. [PMID: 31596013 PMCID: PMC6916354 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201906966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The chemical nature and aggregate state of superheavy copernicium (Cn) have been subject of speculation for many years. While strong relativistic effects render Cn chemically inert, which led Pitzer to suggest a noble-gas-like behavior in 1975, Eichler and co-workers in 2008 reported substantial interactions with a gold surface in atom-at-a-time experiments, suggesting a metallic character and a solid aggregate state. Herein, we explore the physicochemical properties of Cn by means of first-principles free-energy calculations, which confirm Pitzer's original hypothesis: With predicted melting and boiling points of 283±11 K and 340±10 K, Cn is indeed a volatile liquid and exhibits a density very similar to that of mercury. However, in stark contrast to mercury and the lighter Group 12 metals, we find bulk Cn to be bound by dispersion and to exhibit a large band gap of 6.4 eV, which is consistent with a noble-gas-like character. This non-group-conforming behavior is eventually traced back to strong scalar-relativistic effects, and in the non-relativistic limit, Cn appears as a common Group 12 metal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Michael Mewes
- Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University Auckland, 0632, Auckland, New Zealand.,Mulliken Center for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Beringstr. 4, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Odile R Smits
- Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University Auckland, 0632, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Georg Kresse
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics and Center for Computational Materials Sciences, Sensengasse 8/12, 1090, Wien, Austria
| | - Peter Schwerdtfeger
- Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University Auckland, 0632, Auckland, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mewes JM, Jerabek P, Smits OR, Schwerdtfeger P. Oganesson Is a Semiconductor: On the Relativistic Band-Gap Narrowing in the Heaviest Noble-Gas Solids. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:14260-14264. [PMID: 31343819 PMCID: PMC6790653 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201908327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Oganesson (Og) is the most recent addition to Group 18. Investigations of its atomic electronic structure have unraveled a tremendous impact of relativistic effects, raising the question whether the heaviest noble gas lives up to its position in the periodic table. To address the issue, we explore the electronic structure of bulk Og by means of relativistic Kohn–Sham density functional theory and many‐body perturbation theory in the form of the GW method. Calculating the band structure of the noble‐gas solids from Ne to Og, we demonstrate excellent agreement for the band gaps of the experimentally known solids from Ne to Xe and provide values of 7.1 eV and 1.5 eV for the unknown solids of Rn and Og. While this is in line with periodic trends for Rn, the band gap of Og completely breaks with these trends. The surprisingly small band gap of Og moreover means that, in stark contrast to all other noble‐gas solids, the solid form of Og is a semiconductor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Michael Mewes
- Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University Auckland, 0632, Auckland, New Zealand.,Mulliken Center for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Beringstr. 4, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Paul Jerabek
- Department for Molecular Theory and Spectroscopy, Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (KOFO), Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Odile R Smits
- Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University Auckland, 0632, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Peter Schwerdtfeger
- Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University Auckland, 0632, Auckland, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lens L, Yakushev A, Düllmann CE, Asai M, Ballof J, Block M, David HM, Despotopulos J, Di Nitto A, Eberhardt K, Even J, Götz M, Götz S, Haba H, Harkness-Brennan L, Heßberger FP, Herzberg RD, Hoffmann J, Hübner A, Jäger E, Judson D, Khuyagbaatar J, Kindler B, Komori Y, Konki J, Kratz JV, Krier J, Kurz N, Laatiaoui M, Lahiri S, Lommel B, Maiti M, Mistry AK, Mokry C, Moody K, Nagame Y, Omtvedt JP, Papadakis P, Pershina V, Runke J, Schädel M, Scharrer P, Sato T, Shaughnessy D, Schausten B, Thörle-Pospiech P, Trautmann N, Tsukada K, Uusitalo J, Ward A, Wegrzecki M, Wiehl N, Yakusheva V. Online chemical adsorption studies of Hg, Tl, and Pb on SiO2 and Au surfaces in preparation for chemical investigations on Cn, Nh, and Fl at TASCA. RADIOCHIM ACTA 2018. [DOI: 10.1515/ract-2017-2914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Online gas-solid adsorption studies with single-atom quantities of Hg, Tl, and Pb, the lighter homologs of the superheavy elements (SHE) copernicium (Cn, Z=112), nihonium (Nh, Z=113), and flerovium (Fl, Z=114), were carried out using short-lived radioisotopes. The interaction with Au and SiO2 surfaces was studied and the overall chemical yield was determined. Suitable radioisotopes were produced in fusion-evaporation reactions, isolated in the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA, and flushed rapidly to an adjacent setup of two gas chromatography detector arrays covered with SiO2 (first array) and Au (second array). While Tl and Pb adsorbed on the SiO2 surface, Hg interacts only weakly and reached the Au-covered array. Our results contribute to elucidating the influence of relativistic effects on chemical properties of the heaviest elements by providing experimental data on these lighter homologs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lotte Lens
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Alexander Yakushev
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Christoph Emanuel Düllmann
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Masato Asai
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency , 319-1195 Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki , Japan
| | - Jochen Ballof
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Section Isolde, Cern , 1211 Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Michael Block
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Helena May David
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | | | - Antonio Di Nitto
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Klaus Eberhardt
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Julia Even
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
- KVI-Center for Advanced Radiation , Technology University of Groningen , 9747 AA Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Michael Götz
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Stefan Götz
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | | | | | - Fritz Peter Heßberger
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Rodi D. Herzberg
- Department of Physics , University of Liverpool , L69 7ZE Liverpool , UK
| | - Jan Hoffmann
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Annett Hübner
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Egon Jäger
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Daniel Judson
- Department of Physics , University of Liverpool , L69 7ZE Liverpool , UK
| | - Jadambaa Khuyagbaatar
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Birgit Kindler
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | | | - Joonas Konki
- Section Isolde, Cern , 1211 Geneva , Switzerland
- Department of Physics , University of Jyväskylä , 40014 Jyväskylä , Finland
| | - Jens Volker Kratz
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
| | - Jörg Krier
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Nikolaus Kurz
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Mustapha Laatiaoui
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Susanta Lahiri
- Chemical Sciences Division , Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics , 700064 Kolkata , India
| | - Bettina Lommel
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Moumita Maiti
- Department of Physics , Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee , 247667 Uttarakhand , India
| | - Andrew K. Mistry
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Christoph Mokry
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Ken Moody
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , Livermore, CA 94551 , USA
| | - Yuichiro Nagame
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency , 319-1195 Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki , Japan
| | | | | | - Valeria Pershina
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Jörg Runke
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Matthias Schädel
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency , 319-1195 Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki , Japan
| | - Paul Scharrer
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Tetsuya Sato
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency , 319-1195 Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki , Japan
| | - Dawn Shaughnessy
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , Livermore, CA 94551 , USA
| | - Brigitta Schausten
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
| | - Petra Thörle-Pospiech
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Norbert Trautmann
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
| | - Kazuaki Tsukada
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency , 319-1195 Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki , Japan
| | - Juha Uusitalo
- Department of Physics , University of Jyväskylä , 40014 Jyväskylä , Finland
| | - Andrew Ward
- Department of Physics , University of Liverpool , L69 7ZE Liverpool , UK
| | | | - Norbert Wiehl
- Institut für Kernchemie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität , 55122 Mainz , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| | - Vera Yakusheva
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung , 64291 Darmstadt , Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz , 55099 Mainz , Germany
| |
Collapse
|