Liquid−Liquid Phase Separation and Microscopic Structure in Rubidium−Ammonia Solutions Observed Using X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

On the solvation of metal ions in liquid ammonia: a molecular simulation study of M(NH2)x(NH3)ycomplexes as a function of pH

The solvation of mono-, di- and trivalent metal ions in liquid ammonia is characterized from molecular simulations using a ‘local’ pKconcept to analyse metal-assisted amide formation.

Structure of solvated mercury(II) halides in liquid ammonia, triethyl phosphite and tri-n-butylphosphine solution

Liquid ammonia, trialkyl phosphites, and especially trialkylphosphines, are very powerful electron-pair donor solvents with soft bonding character. The solvent molecules act as strongly coordinating ligands towards mercury(ii), interacting strongly enough to displace halide ligands. In liquid ammonia mercury(ii) chloride solutions separate into two liquid phases; the upper contains tetraamminemercury(ii) complexes, [Hg(NH(3))(4)](2+), and chloride ions in low concentration, while the lower is a dense highly concentrated solution of [Hg(NH(3))(4)](2+) entities, ca. 1.4 mol dm(-3), probably ion-paired by hydrogen bonds to the chloride ions. Mercury(ii) bromide also dissociates to ionic complexes in liquid ammonia and forms a homogeneous solution for which (199)Hg NMR indicates weak bromide association with mercury(ii). When dissolving mercury(ii) iodide in liquid ammonia and triethyl phosphite solvated molecular complexes form in the solutions. The Raman nu(I-Hg-I) symmetric stretching frequency is 132 cm(-1) for the pseudo-tetrahedral [HgI(2)(NH(3))(2)] complex formed in liquid ammonia, corresponding to D(S) = 56 on the donor strength scale. For the Hg(ClO(4))(2)/NH(4)I system in liquid ammonia a (199)Hg NMR study showed [HgI(4)](2-) to be the dominating mercury(ii) complex for mole ratios n(I(-)) : n(Hg(2+)) > or = 6. A large angle X-ray scattering (LAXS) study of mercury(ii) iodide in triethyl phosphite solution showed a [HgI(2)(P(OC(4)H(9))(3))(2)] complex with the Hg-I and Hg-P bond distances 2.750(3) and 2.457(4) A, respectively, in near tetrahedral configuration. Trialkylphosphines generally form very strong bonds to mercury(ii), dissociating all mercury(ii) halides. Mercury(ii) chloride and bromide form solid solvated mercury(ii) halide salts when treated with tri-n-butylphosphine, because of the low permittivity of the solvent. A LAXS study of a melt of mercury(ii) iodide in tri-n-butylphosphine at 330 K resulted in the Hg-I and Hg-P distances 2.851(3) and 2.468(4) A, respectively. The absence of a distinct I-I distance indicates flexible coordination geometry with weak and non-directional mercury(ii) iodide association within the tri-n-butylphosphine solvated complex.

Nature of metal-nonmetal transition in metal-ammonia solutions. II. From uniform metallic state to inhomogeneous electronic microstructure

Applying semianalytical models of nonideal plasma, we evaluate the behavior of the metallic phase in metal-ammonia solutions (MAS). This behavior is mainly controlled by the degenerate electron gas, which remains stable down to 5 MPM due to high solvent polarizability and strong dielectric screening of solvated ions. Comparing the behavior of the metallic state with those of localized solvated electrons, we have estimated the miscibility gap Delta n for various alkali metals and found Delta n(Na)>Delta n(K). It is rather narrow in Rb-NH3 and does not occur in Cs-NH3 solutions, which is in full agreement with the experiments. The case of Li is discussed separately. The difference calculated in the excess free energies of the metallic and nonmetallic phases is in the order of kBT, yielding a thermally fluctuating mixed state at intermediate metal concentrations. It results in a continuous metal-nonmetal (MNM) transition above the consolute point Tc and a phase separation below Tc. We propose a criterion for the MNM transition which may be attributed to the line of the maximum of compressibility above Tc. This line crosses the spinodal one at the critical temperature. Finally, we assert that a new electronic phase similar to microemulsion should also arise between the spinodal and the binodal lines.