Formation of hydroperoxo (-OOH) species on the surface of self-doped Bi2.15WO6: reactivity towards As(iii) oxidation

Bi2+xWO6 is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly photocatalyst that shows high reactivity in the oxidation of various contaminants under visible light. However, under alkaline conditions, the reactive oxidative species in the Bi2+xWO6 system are still not clear yet. In this study, it is observed that the oxidation rates of As(iii) increase with increasing pH values in the Bi2.15WO6 system. Photoluminescence and the Mott-Schottky analyses confirm that OH- promotes the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs over Bi2.15WO6, thus facilitating the oxidation of As(iii). Electron spin resonance spectra analysis and quenching experiments rule out contributions of •OH, O2˙-, 1O2 and superoxo species to As(iii) oxidation and indicate that surface -OOH and/or H2O2 are indeed the predominant species under alkaline conditions. The improved production of H2O2 by H-donors such as glucose and phenol, as well as the UV-vis diffuse reflectance and Raman analyses, further confirms the formation of surface -OOH on Bi2.15WO6 under alkaline conditions. In the dark, the significant higher oxidation rate of As(iii) by H2O2-Bi2.15WO6 than that by H2O2 alone reveals that surface -OOH, instead of H2O2, plays an important role in As(iii) oxidation. This study enriches our understanding of the diversity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the Bi2.15WO6 system and gives new insight into the mechanism involved in the oxidation of As(iii) under alkaline conditions.

Speciation of [Cp*(2)M(2)O(5)] in polar and donor solvents

The speciation of compounds [Cp*2 M2 O5 ] (M=Mo, W; Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) in different protic and aprotic polar solvents (methanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, acetonitrile), in the presence of variable amounts of water or acid/base, has been investigated by (1) H NMR spectrometry and electrical conductivity. Specific hypotheses suggested by the experimental results have been further probed by DFT calculations. The solvent (S)-assisted ionic dissociation to generate [Cp*MO2 (S)](+) and [Cp*MO3 ](-) takes place extensively for both metals only in water/methanol mixtures. Equilibrium amounts of the neutral hydroxido species [Cp*MO2 (OH)] are generated in the presence of water, with the relative amount increasing in the order MeCN≈acetone<MeOH<DMSO. Addition of a base (Et3 N) converts [Cp*2 M2 O5 ] into [Et3 NH](+) [Cp*MO3 ](-) , for which the presence of a NH⋅⋅⋅OM interaction is revealed by (1) H NMR spectroscopy in comparison with the sodium salts, Na(+) [Cp*MO3 ](-) . These are fully dissociated in DMSO and MeOH, but display a slow equilibrium between free ions and the ion pair in MeCN and acetone. Only one resonance is observed for mixtures of [Cp*MO3 ](-) and [Cp*MO2 (OH)] because of a rapid self-exchange. In the presence of extensive ionic dissociation, only one resonance is observed for mixtures of the cationic [Cp*MO2 (S)](+) product and the residual undissociated [Cp*2 M2 O5 ] because of a rapid associative exchange via the trinuclear [Cp*3 M3 O7 ](+) intermediate. In neat methanol, complex [Cp*2 W2 O5 ] reacts to yield extensive amounts of a new species, formulated as the mononuclear methoxido complex [Cp*WO2 (OMe)] on the basis of the DFT study. An equivalent product is not observed for the Mo system. The addition of increasing amounts of water results in the rapid decrease of this product in favor of [Cp*2 W2 O5 ] and [Cp*WO2 (OH)].