Reactions of Beryllium Halides in Liquid Ammonia: The Tetraammineberyllium Cation [Be(NH3)4]2+, its Hydrolysis Products,and the Action of Be2+ as a Fluoride‐Ion Acceptor

The first structural characterization of the text‐book tetraammineberyllium(II) cation [Be(NH₃)₄]²⁺, obtained in the compounds [Be(NH₃)₄]₂Cl₄ ? 17NH₃ and [Be(NH₃)₄]Cl₂, is reported. Through NMR spectroscopic and quantum chemical studies, its hydrolysis products in liquid ammonia were identified. These are the dinuclear [Be₂(μ‐OH)(NH₃)₆]³⁺ and the cyclic [Be₂(μ‐OH)₂(NH₃)₄]²⁺ and [Be₃(μ‐OH)₃(NH₃)₆]³⁺ cations. The latter species was isolated as the compound [Be₃(μ‐OH)₃(NH₃)₆]Cl₃ ? 7NH₃. NMR analysis of solutions of BeF₂ in liquid ammonia showed that the [BeF₂(NH₃)₂] molecule was the only dissolved species. It acts as a strong fluoride‐ion acceptor and forms the [BeF₃(NH₃)]^? anion in the compound [N₂H₇][BeF₃(NH₃)]. The compounds presented herein were characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray structure analysis, ⁹Be, ¹⁷O, and ¹⁹F NMR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, deuteration studies, and quantum chemical calculations. The extension of beryllium chemistry to the ammine system shows similarities but also decisive differences to the aquo system.     

Calix[4]pyrrole‐Based Heteroditopic Ion‐Pair Receptor That Displays Anion‐Modulated,Cation‐Binding Behavior

A new ditopic ion‐pair receptor 1 was designed, synthesized, and characterized. Detailed binding studies served to confirm that this receptor binds fluoride and chloride ions (studied as their tetraalkylammonium salts) and forms stable 1:1 complexes in CDCl₃. Treatment of the halide‐ion complexes of 1 with Group I and II metal ions (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺; studied as their perchlorate salts in CD₃CN) revealed unique interactions that were found to depend on both the choice of the added cation and the precomplexed anion. In the case of the fluoride complex [ 1? F]^? (preformed as the tetrabutylammonium (TBA⁺) complex), little evidence of interaction with the K⁺ ion was seen. In contrast, when this same complex (i.e., [ 1? F]^? as the TBA⁺ salt) was treated with the Li⁺ or Na⁺ ions, complete decomplexation of the receptor‐bound fluoride ion was observed. In sharp contrast to what was seen with Li⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺, treating complex [ 1? F]^? with the Cs⁺ ion gave rise to a stable, receptor‐bound ion‐pair complex [Cs ?1? F] that contains the Cs⁺ ion complexed within the cup‐like cavity of the calix[4]pyrrole, which in turn was stabilized in its cone conformation. Different complexation behavior was observed in the case of the chloride complex [ 1? Cl]^?. In this case, no appreciable interaction was observed with Na⁺ or K⁺. In addition, treating [ 1? Cl]^? with Li⁺ produces a tightly hydrated dimeric ion‐pair complex [ 1? LiCl(H₂O)]₂ in which two Li⁺ ions are bound to the crown moiety of the two receptors. In analogy to what was seen in the case of [ 1? F]^?, exposure of [ 1? Cl]^? to the Cs⁺ ion gives rise to an ion‐pair complex [Cs ?1? Cl] in which the cation is bound within the cup of the calix[4]pyrrole. Different complexation modes were also observed when the binding of the fluoride ion was studied by using the tetramethylammonium and tetraethylammonium salts.     

Propane‐1,2‐diammonium tetrafluoroberyllate

Cocrystallization of the inorganic [BeF₄]^2? unit with the organic moiety [NH₃CH₂CH(NH₃)CH₃]²⁺ results in the three‐dimensional network of the title compound, (C₃H₁₂N₂)[BeF₄] or C₃H₁₂N₂²⁺·BeF₄^2?, created by hydrogen bonds between the protonated ammonium groups and the highly electronegative F atoms of the anion. The structure is described in terms of layers related to each other by crystallographic centres of symmetry.     

Beryllium-Induced Conversion of Aldehydes

Aldehydes play a key role in the human metabolism. Therefore, it is essential to know their reactivity with beryllium compounds in order to assess its effects in the body. The reactivity of simple aldehydes towards beryllium halides (F, Cl, Br, I) was studied through solution and solid-state techniques and revealed distinctively different reactivities of the beryllium halides, with BeF₂ being the least and BeI₂ the most reactive. Rearrangement and aldol condensation reactions were observed and monitored by in situ NMR spectroscopy. Crystal structures of various compounds obtained by Be²⁺-catalyzed cyclization, rearrangement, and aldol addition reactions or ligation of beryllium halides have been determined, including unprecedented one-dimensional BeCl₂ chains and the first structurally characterized example of an 1-iodo-alkoxide. Long-term studies showed that only aldehydes without a β-H can form stable beryllium complexes, whereas other aldehydes are oligo- and polymerized or decomposed by beryllium halides.     

Spectroscopic and Crystal Field Consequences of Fluoride Binding by [Yb⋅DTMA]3+ in Aqueous Solution

Yb?DTMA forms a ternary complex with fluoride in aqueous solution by displacement of a bound solvent molecule from the lanthanide ion. [Yb?DTMA?F]²⁺ and [Yb?DTMA?OH₂]³⁺ are in slow exchange on the relevant NMR timescale (<2000 s^?1), and profound differences are observed in their respective NMR and EPR spectra of these species. The observed differences can be explained by drastic modification of the ligand field states due to the fluoride binding. This changes the magnetic anisotropy of the Yb^III ground state from easy‐axis to easy‐plane type, and this change is easily detected in the observed magnetic anisotropy despite thermal population of more than just the ground state. The spectroscopic consequences of such drastic changes to the ligand field represent important new opportunities in developing fluoride‐responsive complexes and contrast agents.     

Fluorine exchange in some phosphorus and arsenic compounds

The rate of intermolecular fluorine exchange in the system PhPF₄ + PhPF^?₅ ? PhPF₄FPhPF^?₄ was studied by ¹⁹F and ³¹P dynamic NMR techniques. The anion PhPF^?₅ was generated by adding potassium fluoride in crown ether to PhPF₄.Attempts to initiate exchange in Ph₂AsF₂Me by adding fluoride ion donors were unsuccessful, instead, fluoride acceptors such as HF produced rapid intermolecular fluorine exchange in Ph₂AsF₂Me, presumably via an intermediate cation Ph₂AsFMe⁺. Experimental results and proposed mechanisms of fluorine exchange will be discussed.     

Metal Fluorides as Analogues for Studies on Phosphoryl Transfer Enzymes

The 1994 structure of a transition‐state analogue with AlF₄⁻ and GDP complexed to G1α, a small G protein, heralded a new field of research into the structure and mechanism of enzymes that manipulate the transfer of phosphoryl (PO₃⁻) groups. The number of enzyme structures in the PDB containing metal fluorides (MF_x) as ligands that imitate either a phosphoryl or a phosphate group was 357 at the end of 2016. They fall into three distinct geometrical classes: 1) Tetrahedral complexes based on BeF₃⁻ that mimic ground‐state phosphates; 2) octahedral complexes, primarily based on AlF₄⁻, which mimic “in‐line” anionic transition states for phosphoryl transfer; and 3) trigonal bipyramidal complexes, represented by MgF₃⁻ and putative AlF₃⁰ moieties, which mimic the geometry of the transition state. The interpretation of these structures provides a deeper mechanistic understanding into the behavior and manipulation of phosphate monoesters in molecular biology. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of these structures, their uses, and their computational development.     

Water Activities, Osmotic and Activity Coefficients and Some Correlation of Aqueous Mixtures of Alkaline-Earth and Ammonium Nitrates, NH4NO3-Y(NO3)2-H2O with Y ≡ Ba2+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ at T = 25 °C

The thermodynamic properties of the mixed aqueous electrolyte of ammonium and alkaline earth metal nitrates have been studied using the hygrometric method at 25?°C. The water activities of these {yNH₄NO₃+(1?y)Y(NO₃)₂}(aq) systems with Y ≡ Ba²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ were measured at total molalities ranging from 0.10 mol?kg^?1 to saturation for different NH₄NO₃ ionic-strength fractions of y=0.20, 0.50 and 0.80. These data allow the calculation of osmotic coefficients. From these measurements, the ionic mixing parameters are determined and used to calculate the solute activity coefficients in the mixtures at different ionic-strength fractions. The results of these ternary solution measurements are compared with those for binary solutions of the alkaline earth nitrates of magnesium, calcium and barium with ammonium nitrates. The behavior of the aqueous electrolyte solutions containing mixtures of barium or calcium or magnesium with ammonium nitrates are correlated and show that ionic interactions are more important for the system containing Mg²⁺ than for Ca²⁺ or Ba²⁺. The trends are mainly due to the effects of the ionic size, polarizability and the hydration of the ions in these solutions.     

SuFEx Chemistry of Thionyl Tetrafluoride (SOF4) with Organolithium Nucleophiles: Synthesis of Sulfonimidoyl Fluorides,Sulfoximines, Sulfonimidamides,and Sulfonimidates

Thionyl tetrafluoride (SOF₄) is a valuable connective gas for sulfur fluoride exchange (SuFEx) click chemistry that enables multidimensional linkages to be created via sulfur–oxygen and sulfur–nitrogen bonds. Herein, we expand the available SuFEx chemistry of SOF₄ to include organolithium nucleophiles, and demonstrate, for the first time, the controlled projection of sulfur–carbon links at the sulfur center of SOF₄‐derived iminosulfur oxydifluorides (R¹?N=SOF₂). This method provides rapid and modular access to sulfonimidoyl fluorides (R¹?N=SOFR²), another array of versatile SuFEx connectors with readily tunable reactivity of the S?F handle. Divergent connections derived from these valuable sulfonimidoyl fluoride units are also demonstrated, including the synthesis of sulfoximines, sulfonimidamides, and sulfonimidates.     

Synthesis and Thermal Decomposition Behaviors of Magnesium Borohydride Ammoniates with Controllable Composition as Hydrogen Storage Materials

An ammonia‐redistribution strategy for synthesizing metal borohydride ammoniates with controllable coordination number of NH₃ was proposed, and a series of magnesium borohydride ammoniates were easily synthesized by a mechanochemical reaction between Mg(BH₄)₂ and its hexaammoniate. A strong dependence of the dehydrogenation temperature and purity of the released hydrogen upon heating on the coordination number of NH₃ was elaborated for Mg(BH₄)₂?x NH₃ owing to the change in the molar ratio of H^δ+ and H^δ?, the charge distribution on H^δ+ and H^δ?, and the strength of the coordinate bond N:→Mg²⁺. The monoammoniate of magnesium borohydride (Mg(BH₄)₂?NH₃) was obtained for the first time. It can release 6.5 % pure hydrogen within 50 minutes at 180 °C.     

Cation exchange, interlayer spacing, and thermal analysis of Na/Ca-montmorillonite modified with alkaline and alkaline earth metal ions

Na-montmorillonites were exchanged with Li⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺, while Ca-montmorillonites were treated with alkaline and alkaline earth ions except for Ra²⁺ and Ca²⁺. Montmorillonites with interlayer cations Li⁺ or Na⁺ have remarkable swelling capacity and keep excellent stability. It is shown that metal ions represent different exchange ability as follows: Cs⁺?>?Rb⁺?>?K⁺?>?Na⁺?>?Li⁺ and Ba²⁺?>?Sr²⁺?>?Ca²⁺?>?Mg²⁺. The cation exchange capacity with single ion exchange capacity illustrates that Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ do not only take part in cation exchange but also produce physical adsorption on the montmorillonite. Although interlayer spacing d ₀₀₁ depends on both radius and hydration radius of interlayer cations, the latter one plays a decisive role in changing d ₀₀₁ value. Three stages of temperature intervals of dehydration are observed from the TG/DSC curves: the release of surface water adsorbed (36?C84?°C), the dehydration of interlayer water and the chemical-adsorption water (47?C189?°C) and dehydration of bound water of interlayer metal cation (108?C268?°C). Data show that the quantity and hydration energy of ions adsorbed on montmorillonite influence the water content in montmorillonite. Mg²⁺-modified Na-montmorillonite which absorbs the most quantity of ions with the highest hydration energy has the maximum water content up to 8.84%.     

Separation of magnesium isotopes by NTOE bonded merrifield peptide resin

Separation of magnesium isotopes was investigated by chemical ion exchange with synthesyzed 1,12-diaza-3,4:9,10-dibenzo-5,8-dioxacyclo pentadecane(NTOE) bonded merrifield peptide resin using elution chromatographic technique. The capacity of novel diazacrown ion exchanger was 0.29 meq/g dry resin. The heavier isotopes of magnesium were concentrated in the solution phase, while the lighter isotopes were enriched in the resin phase. The glass ion exchange column used in our experiment was 32 cm long with inner diameter of 0.2 cm, and 0.5M NH₄Cl solution was used as an eluent. The single stage separation factor was determined according to the method of GLUECKAUF from the elution curve and isotopic assays. The separation factors of ²⁴Mg²⁺–²⁵Mg²⁺, ²⁴Mg²⁺–²⁶Mg²⁺, and ²⁵Mg²⁺–₂₆Mg²⁺ were 1.063, 1.080, and 1.021, respectively.     

Superionic Conduction in Complex Fluorides of Antimony(III) MnSbxFy (M—Cations of an Alkali Metal, Ammonium, or Thallium, n = 1–3, and x = 1–4)

Methods of ¹⁹F NMR and impedance spectroscopy are used to investigate the internal mobility of fluoride (ammonium) ions and electrophysical characteristics of complex trivalent antimony fluorides MSb₄F₁₃, MSb₃F₁₀, MSb₂F₇, M₂Sb₃F₁₁, M₃Sb₄F₁₅, and MSbF₄ (M is an alkali cation, ammonium, thallium). The ion motion types in the cationic and anionic sublattices of the fluorides are determined at 150–500 K. The polymorphous transformations in the fluorides are usually phase transitions to a superionic state and their high ionic (superionic) conductivity (σ ≥ 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻² S cm⁻¹ at 400 K) is due to the diffusion motion of ions of fluoride, ammonium, and possibly sodium, potassium, and thallium. The high polarizability of thallium ions favors the development of high mobility of fluoride ions in the fluorides.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 5, 2005, pp. 560–572.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kavun, Uvarov, Slobodyuk, Brovkina, Zemnukhova, Sergienko.     

Enhancement of the Up-conversion Luminescence of 12CaO · 7Al2O3:Tm3+/Yb3+ Doped with Alkaline Earth Metal Ions

12CaO?·?7Al₂O₃ doped with lanthanide is characterized by remarkable and technologically important up-conversion emission. However, the low up-conversion efficiency still remains the main limitation for practical applications. To improve the efficiency, bivalent alkaline earth ions (Mg²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺)-tridoped Tm³⁺/Yb³⁺/12CaO?·?7Al₂O₃ were synthesized through a high-temperature solid-state reaction. The up-conversion luminescence properties of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, fluorescence spectral measurement pump power, and fluorescence decay curves. The luminescence intensity of samples was significantly enhanced by bivalent alkaline earth ions. 12CaO?·?7Al₂O₃ doped with Sr²⁺ ions has stronger effects on up-conversion enhancement, which is better than Mg²⁺ and Ba²⁺. The up-conversion emission intensity was enhanced by 318 times and the red emission intensity by 218 times with 10?mol% Sr²⁺ ion. Additionally, the blue and red up-conversion emission peaks at 475 and 650?nm corresponding to energy transitions of ¹G₄ → ³H₆ and ¹G₄ → ³F₄, ³F₂ → ³H₆ were characterized using steady-state rate equations.     

New anion-conducting fluorite-like solid solution Bi1 − x Te x (O,F)2 + δ (0.28 < x < 0.43) in the BiF3-BiOF-TeO2 system

A new fluorite-like solid solution, II-Bi_{1 ? x} Te _x (O,F)_{2 + δ}, was produced by solid-phase synthesis at 873 K with subsequent annealing, its concentration boundaries were determined, and a scheme of an isothermal (873 K) section of the BiF₃-BiOF-TeO₂ system was proposed. The new phase was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, electron microscopy, and impedance spectroscopy. Making heterovalent substitutions simultaneously in the cation and anion sublattices, Te⁴⁺ ? Bi³⁺ and O^2? ? F^? allowed one to vary the tellurium cation content x (at constant anion nonstoichiometry δ) or the anion nonstoichiometry δ (at constant tellurium cation content x or constant fluoride ion content), which enabled one to describe the effect of these parameters on the properties of the solid solution. The anion excess δ was found to dominate the unit cell parameter of the solid solution and its ionic conductivity. The conduction within the studied temperature range was proven to be mainly by fluoride ions. It was assumed that the ordering of superstoichiometric anions, or clustering, can manifest itself as the structural modulations of the phase II-Bi_{1 ? x} Te _x (O,F)_{2 + δ} that were detected in this work.     

Alert Electrodes for Continuous Monitoring of Nitrate Ions in Natural Water

In this study, simple disk electrodes were tested to monitor nitrate ion level in raw water: a Cu rod (3.1 mm diameter), a Pd rod (4 mm diameter) and an electrochemical copper deposit on Pd disk. These electrodes were able to detect significant variations of nitrate ions rate in synthetic media and in natural water. The influence of some ions such as SO₄^2?, Mg²⁺, HCO₃^?, Cl^?, NH₄⁺ and Ca²⁺ were also tested. These electrodes, working at potentials close to ?1.5 V, were able to detect a 2 ppm nitrate ion variation in natural water. The preliminary results showed these electrodes should be promising alert systems for the in‐situ monitoring of nitrate ion level in natural waters.     

Study of the ionic conductivity of some fluorides of monovalent and tetravalent elements

Recently some interest has attached to ionic conductivity in the fluorides of metals with large cation radius because of the high fluorine mobility in these materials.A.c. conductivity measurements using the complex impedance method were carried out on sintered samples and showed that some binary fluorides of monovalent elements (M^I = K, Rb, Tl) and tetravalent elements (M^IV = Zr,Hf, Th, U) exhibit an appreciable ionic conductivity at moderate temperature : σ at 200°C (Ω^?1 cm^?1) Tl₃ZrF₇ 3.5 × 10^?3 Tl₂ZrF₆ 1.1 × 10^?2 Tl ZrF₅ 5 × 10^?4A single crystal study of Tl₃ZrF₇ shows that this compound crystallizes in the cubic system with space group Fm3m and cell parameter a = 9.34 Å. Therefore its crystal structure may be related to that of (NH₄)₃ZrF₇ [1 to 3] which is characterized by the presence of (ZrF₇)^3? ions with a pentagonal bipyramid as probable configuration. There are two crystallographically independent fluorine ions in position (96 j) of the space group Fm3m with a percentage of occupancy of 20.8 and 8.3 respectively. Thus Tl₃ZrF₇ is an example of fluoride where a three dimensional ionic conductivity occurs due to an incomplete occupation of a special symmetry position and where temperature increase might create rotation of (ZrF₇)^3? polyhedra giving rise to an important anionic disorder.In order to determine the origin of the ionic conductivity in TlZrF₅ we have undertaken the determination of the crystal structure of this fluoride from X-ray intensity measurements made with the aid of an automatic four circle diffractometer.TlZrF₅ cristallizes in the monoclinic system with unit-cell dimensions a = 8.112(1)Å, b = 7.927(3)Å, c = 7.929(1)Å, β = 123.99(1)° and space group P2 /c (No 14), Z = 4.In this structure, the Zr⁴⁺ ion is surrounded by eight F^? ions, the coordination polyhedron being a bicapped trigonal prism. This crystal structure consists of sheets (ZrF₅)^? that may be described as edge-shared and corner-shared bicapped trigonal prisms (ZrF₈). The sheets run parallel to the yOz plane and are bonded together by the Tl⁺ ions which are surrounded by twelve F^?ions. This arrangement produces relatively open tunnels in the b direction delimited by the cations. Of the five independent fluorine atoms, two of them, namely F(1) and F(4) are different from the other from the point of view of bonding and are located in these tunnels. Thus they are probably primarily responsible for the high conductivity of this material [4].With regard to Tl₂ZrF₆, it is the best as far as ionic conductivity is concerned. However its crystal structure is still unknown and its determination is actually under investigation in our laboratory.All this materials are good electronic insulators and their transport properties due to the high fluorine ion mobilities allow us to think that some of them hold considerable promise for use as solid electrolytes.     

Fast Ion Conducting Nanocrystalline Alkaline Earth Fluorides Simply Prepared by Mixing or Manual Shaking

Simple mixing or shaking of alkaline earth hydroxides with ammonium fluoride results in nanocrystalline phase pure metal fluorides MF₂ (M: Ca, Sr, Ba). The formation of the alkaline earth fluorides was investigated by varying the reaction conditions. Evidence was found that just the contact between the starting materials is sufficient for the reaction to take place. X‐ray diffraction, elemental analysis, ¹⁹F MAS NMR spectroscopy, and measurements of DC conductivities were used to characterize the fluorides regarding properties like crystal structure, crystallite sizes, local fluorine coordination, and fluorine ion conductivity. The ¹⁹F MAS NMR spectra of the phase pure fluorides prepared showed several signals, which were assigned to defects, impurities, or geometric distortions. The fluorides prepared by mixing or shaking revealed fluorine ion conductivities several orders of magnitude higher than observed for the respective microcrystalline alkaline earth fluorides. Therefore, the synthesis routine presented in this study may open a path to a very quick and simple synthesis of nanocrystalline fast fluorine ion conductors.     

Magnesium Ion Selective Electrodes Based on β-Diketone Compounds

Abstract

The ion selectivities for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-matrix membrane ion-selective electrodes based on seven lipophilic diketone compounds were examined. All the electrodes based on the tested five β-diketone cómpounds exhibited clear Mg²′-selectivity under high pH conditions (pH10). Especially, the electrode based on 2-acetyl-1-tetralone shows excellent Mg²⁺-selectivity, and the selectivity coefficients of the Mg²+ -electrode to Ca²+, K⁺ and K⁺ (log K^pot _{mg, ca} log K^pol _mg.k and log K^pot _Mg.Na) in pH 10 solution were ?2.2, ?1.9 and ?2.7, respectively. This elecrode gave a response slope of about 60 mV/pMg²⁺ ranging from 1 × 10^?2 to 2 × 10^?2, which corresponds to twice the usual Nernstian theoretical responce slope for the divalent cation. This phenomenon is advantageous for the acccurate determination of Mg²⁺.     

Chemical processing for inorganic fluoride and oxyfluoride materials having optical functions

Chemical processing such as a sol–gel method can offer interesting and useful routes for designing and synthesizing inorganic metal fluoride and oxyfluoride materials for applications in optics and photonics. In our series of studies during the last decade, a variety of fluoride materials including alkaline earth fluorides (MgF₂, CaF₂, SrF₂ and BaF₂), rare-earth fluorides (LaF₃, NdF₃, GdF₃, etc.), rare-earth oxyfluorides (LaOF, EuOF, GdOF, Sm₄O₃F₆, Er₄O₃F₆, etc.) and complex fluorides (SrAlF₅, BaMgF₄, BaLiF₃, LiGdF₄, etc.) have been prepared, using trifluoroacetic acid as a fluorine source, in the form of nanoparticles, thin films and oxide/fluoride nanocomposites. They can be utilized as anti-reflective coatings, luminescent materials, VUV materials, IR materials, and so forth. This article summarizes fundamentals and possible applications of optically useful inorganic fluoride and oxyfluoride materials, with emphasis on porous single-layer anti-reflective coatings and visible photoluminescence of doped Eu³⁺ or Eu²⁺ ions. Furthermore, our recent results on LaF₃:Ce³⁺ and LaOF:Ce³⁺ are originally reported here.