Thermochemically Consistent Free Energies of Hydration for Di- and Trivalent Metal Ions

Development of Multiscale Force Field for Actinide (An3+) Solutions

A multiscale force field (FF) is developed for an aqueous solution of trivalent actinide cations An3+ (An = U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, and Cf) by using a 12-6-4 Lennard-Jones type potential considering ion-induced dipole interaction. Potential parameters are rigorously and automatically optimized by the meta-multilinear interpolation parametrization (meta-MIP) algorithm via matching the experimental properties, including ion-oxygen distance (IOD) and coordination number (CN) in the first solvation shell and hydration free energy (HFE). The water solvent models incorporate an especially developed polar coarse-grained (CG) water scheme named PW32 and three widely used all-atom (AA) level SPC/E, TIP3P, and TIP4P water schemes. Each PW32 is modeled as two bonded beads to represent three neighboring water molecules, the simulation efficiency of which is 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of AA waters. The newly developed FF shows high accuracy and transferability in reproducing the IOD, CN, and HFE of An3+. The molecular structure and water exchange dynamics of the first An3+ hydration shell and the ionic (van der Waals) radii are reinvestigated in this work. Moreover, the new FF can readily be transferred to other popular FFs, as it has practicably predicted the permeability of An3+ in a graphene oxide filter within the framework of optimized potentials for liquid simulations (OPLS)-AA FF. It holds promise for applications in exploring actinide aqueous solutions with multiscale computational overhead.

Valorization of carbon soot ash for the selective capture of lead ions from industrial waste water-A waste to resource approach

Landfills are struggling to accommodate the increasing amounts of carbon soot ash waste from oil refineries. Due to extensive industrial productions, large quantities of lead ions are released into the environment, which not only pollutes the environment but also affects flora and fauna. In this work, these urgent environmental issues will be tackled by studying the use of modified carbon soot ash for specific heavy metal adsorption. Carbon soot ash modified with chemical leaching and physical ball-milling was loaded onto the surface of graphene oxide. This adsorbent was found to selectively adsorb and remove toxic lead ions (>99%) from a mixed heavy metal solution. The adsorption efficiency was found to increase with temperature (20-60 °C) and pH (2-8). Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetics were found to fit the adsorption process through curve fitting, where the adsorbent reached a maximum capacity of 194.55 mg/g. Potential mechanisms for lead adsorption and metal specificity are also discussed here. This work aligns with the waste-to-resource pathway, where waste carbon soot ash is diverted from landfilling and is formulated as a specific heavy metal adsorbent, that shows promise for environmental remediation.

Sequential Selective Dissolution of Coinage Metals in Recyclable Ionic Media

Coinage metals Cu, Ag, and Au are essential for modern electronics and their recycling from waste materials is becoming increasingly important to guarantee the security of their supply. Designing new sustainable and selective procedures that would substitute currently used processes is crucial. Here, we describe an unprecedented approach for the sequential dissolution of single metals from Cu, Ag, and Au mixtures using biomass-derived ionic solvents and green oxidants. First, Cu can be selectively dissolved in the presence of Ag and Au with a choline chloride/urea/H2O2 mixture, followed by the dissolution of Ag in lactic acid/H2O2. Finally, the metallic Au, which is not soluble in either solution above, is dissolved in choline chloride/urea/Oxone. Subsequently, the metals were simply and quantitatively recovered from dissolutions, and the solvents were recycled and reused. The applicability of the developed approach was demonstrated by recovering metals from electronic waste substrates such as printed circuit boards, gold fingers, and solar panels. The dissolution reactions and selectivity were explored with different analytical techniques and DFT calculations. We anticipate our approach will pave a new way for the contemporary and sustainable recycling of multi-metal waste substrates.

Similarity between the redox potentials of 3d transition-metal ions in polyanionic insertion materials and aqueous solutions

The transition-metal ions in a solid matrix are oxidised and reduced via a solid-state redox reaction during the charge/discharge process of lithium insertion materials, which are commonly used as positive and negative electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, the electrode potentials of lithium insertion materials should be different from the redox potentials of transition-metal ions in aqueous solution (i.e., the standard electrode potential). In this study, the solid-state redox potentials of the transition-metal ions in polyanionic materials with three distinct structures (i.e., olivine, NASICON-type, and MOXO₄-type structures, where M = 3d transition-metal ion, and X = P or S) were surveyed to understand the electrode potentials of lithium insertion materials. The redox potentials of the transition-metal ions in polyanionic materials were very similar to those in aqueous solution despite the differences between the environments of these ions in the MO₆ octahedron in polyanionic materials and the aqua complexes of [M(H₂O)₆]ⁿ⁺ in aqueous solutions. The high coefficient of determination (R² ≈ 0.990) of these two potentials indicated that the solid-state redox potential for the lithium insertion reaction in polyanionic materials can be estimated using the standard electrode potential of the corresponding transition-metal ion in aqueous solution. Finally, the similarity between the redox potentials of the transition-metal ions in polyanionic materials and those in aqua complexes is discussed from the thermodynamic perspective. The present findings on the similarity of the redox potentials of transition-metal ions in different media could provide useful insights into the design of novel insertion materials for rechargeable batteries based on lithium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium, among other metals.

Metal-ligand bonding in bispidine chelate complexes for radiopharmaceutical applications

The complexes of selected radionuclides relevant for nuclear medicine (InIII, BiIII, LuIII, AcIII and in addition LaIII for comparative purposes) with the octadentate (6,6′-((9-hydroxy-1,5-bis(methoxycarbonyl)-2,4-di(pyridin-2-yl)-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-3,7-diyl)bis(methylene))dipicolinic acid) ligand, H2bispa2, have been studied by density functional theory calculations modelling both isolated and aqueous solution conditions. The properties in focus are the encapsulation efficiency of the ligand for the different-size metals (M), the differences in bonding with the various MIII ions analysed using Bader’s atoms in molecules theory and the possibility and characteristics of nona- and decacoordination by H2O ligands. The computed results confirmed strong steric effects in the case of the In complex excluding higher than octacoordination. The studied properties depend strongly on the interplay of the sizes and electronic structures of the MIII ions. The computations support high stability of the complexes in aqueous solution, where also the solvation energies of the MIII ions (as dissociation products) play a significant role.

Quantitative evaluation of key properties of dry and wet metal oxides and metal hydroxides as well as of their potential determining cations in aqueous solutions

When potential determining cations are dissolved from solids, it is a reversed process to precipitation of solids from their electrolyte solutions. In both cases there is a transport of substance and charges across the solid-liquid interface. It is obvious that a comprehensive understanding of the process involves characterization of the (dry) solid, of the solid-liquid interface and of the potential determining cation electrolyte. The aim of this review is to quantitatively evaluate the most important properties of metal oxides and metal hydroxides, of their constituent cation electrolytes and of their interactions at the solid-liquid interface. In this way the relations between commonly used key parameters frequently reported in text-books and listed in tables can be established. No external additive, other than protons/ hydroxyls (pH) are introduced to the system. Moreover, the most successful semi-quantitative models for solids cohesion and dissolution, for cation release from their native solids and for cation interaction with water are reviewed. In order to secure credibility 148 samples (1 < z_M < 8) were selected for this quantitative evaluation. The key properties are listed in 22 Tables, 8 extensive Appendices and mutually correlated in 37 Figs. For mutual comparison energies are scaled as kJ/mol.

A simple method to calculate solution-phase free energies of charged species in computational electrocatalysis

Determining the adsorption potential of adsorbed ions in the field of computational electrocatalysis is of great interest to study their interaction with the electrode material and the solvent, and to map out surface phase diagrams and reaction pathways. Calculating the adsorption potentials of ions with density functional theory and comparing across various ions requires an accurate reference energy of the ion in solution and electrons at the same electrochemical scale. Here we highlight a previously used method for determining the reference free energy of solution phase ions using a simple electrochemical thermodynamic cycle, which allows this free energy to be calculated from that of a neutral gas-phase or solid species and an experimentally measured equilibrium potential, avoiding the need to model solvent around the solution phase ion in the electronic structure calculations. While this method is not new, we describe its use and utility in detail and show that this same method can be used to find the free energy of any ion from any reaction, as long as the half-cell equilibrium potential is known, even for reactions that do not transfer the same number of protons and electrons. To illustrate its usability, we compare the adsorption potentials obtained with DFT of I^*, Br^*, Cl^*, and SO₄^*on Pt(111) and Au(111) and OH^*and Ag^*on Pt(111) with those measured experimentally and find that this simple and computationally affordable method reproduces the experimental trends.

Oxidation of Silver Cyanide Ag(CN)2- by the OH Radical: From Ab Initio Calculation to Molecular Simulation and to Experiment

We investigate the oxidation of silver cyanide AgI(CN)2- in water by the OH radical in order to compare this complex with the free cation Ag⁺ and to measure the influence of the ligands. High-level ab initio calculations of the model species AgII(CN)2· enable the calibration of molecular simulations and the prediction of the oxidized species: AgII(CN)2(H2O)2· and its absorption spectrum, with an intense band at 292 nm and a weaker one at 390 nm. Pulse radiolysis measurements of the oxidation of AgI(CN)2- by the OH radical in water yields a transient species with a broad, intense band at 290 nm and a weaker band at 410 nm at short times after the pulse and a blue shift of the spectrum at longer times. The prediction of the simulations, that the oxidized complex AgII(CN)2(H2O)2· is formed, is confirmed by thermochemistry. Our calculations also suggest that the formation of the OH-adduct is possible only in very basic solution and that the blue shift observed at long times after the pulse is due to disproportionation of the oxidized complex. We also perform molecular simulations of the oxidation of free Ag⁺ cations by the OH radical. The results are compared to that of the literature and to the results obtained with the AgI(CN)2- complex.

Density Functional Calculations for Aqueous Silver Clusters Containing Water and Nitrate Ligands

The incorporation of a nitrate ion into silver-water aqueous clusters has been examined using PBE0 density functional theory with the solvent model density (SMD) solvation model. The Gibbs free energy of solvation and other thermodynamic variables are calculated using the harmonic/rigid rotor/ideal gas model at 298.15 K for aqueous solutes including the effects of solute relaxation in water and with London dispersive forces at the D3 level. Free energies of solvation for Ag⁺ and NO₃^- were found to agree well with experimental values of -118.2 and -60.1 kcal/mol, respectively, calculated using cluster-continuum models with six to eight water molecules and including solute relaxation and London D3 dispersive interactions. An analysis of data of varying cluster size upon calculated free energy is presented. A direct procedure is applied to aqueous clusters such as Ag_n^z(NO₃^-)(H₂O)₅, Ag_n^z(H₂O)₅, and (NO₃^-)(H₂O)₆ n = 1-4; z = 0, +1 in the SMD solvent representation to calculate equilibrium constants for nitrate association with silver clusters in solution that includes fully relaxed solutes. The equilibrium structures of the nitrate-containing clusters involve one or more bonds from nitrate oxygen to positive silver clusters. Water molecules interact with nitrate through H atoms, and overall, the structure represents a silver nitrate cluster with water ligands having similarity to a close ion pair in many aspects. The neutral silver atom is attached to nitrate through H-bonded water molecules. The ratio of nitrate-containing silver clusters to nitrate-free clusters using a calculated equilibrium constant of 0.51 L/mol for Ag⁺ is small in the range of many experiments. Similar values are found for positive silver clusters up to four atoms in size. The resulting procedures were applied to aqueous clusters of Ag_n(NO₃)_m^+(n-m) that have been previously experimentally studied for silver reduction in aqueous solution. A chain-like structure with collinear and bidentate oxygen bonds to silver was found, and the equilibrium constants for clustering were determined. A simplified model calculation for the reduction of Ag(H₂O)₆⁺ clusters in the presence of silver clusters in aqueous media was studied to understand catalytic effects observed in these systems. The reduction potentials vary with silver cluster size indicating a more favorable reduction caused by the presence of larger silver clusters.