Synthesis and structure of Ag(6)[(UO(2))(3)O(MoO(4))(5)]: a novel sheet of triuranyl clusters and MoO(4) tetrahedra

The new uranyl molybdate Ag(6)[(UO(2))(3)O(MoO(4))(5)] (1) with an unprecedented uranyl molybdate sheet has been synthesized at 650 degrees C. The structure (monoclinic, C2/c, a = 16.4508(14) A, b = 11.3236(14) A, c = 12.4718(13) A, beta = 100.014(4)(o), V = 2337.4(4) A(3), Z = 4) contains [(UO(2))(3)O(MoO(4))(5)] sheets composed of triuranyl [(UO(2))(3)O] clusters that are connected by MoO(4) tetrahedra. The topology of the uranyl molybdate sheet in 1 represents a major departure from sheets observed in other uranyl compounds. Of the approximately 120 known inorganic uranyl compounds containing sheets of polyhedra, 1 is the only structure that contains trimers of uranyl pentagonal bipyramids that are connected only by the sharing of vertexes with other polyhedra. The sheets are parallel to (001) and are linked by Ag cations.     

Solid-state coordination chemistry: influences of (M(terpyridyl))(M = Fe(III), Cu(II), Ni(II)) subunits on molybdenum oxide structures

The hydrothermal reactions of Na2MoO4 x 2H2O and 2,2':6',2"-terpyridine with appropriate salts of Fe(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) yield a variety of mixed metal oxide phases. The Cu(II) system affords the molecular cluster [Cu(terpy)MoO4].3H2O (MOXI-40 x 3H2O), as well as a one-dimensional material [Cu(terpy)Mo2O7](MOXI-41) which is constructed from (Mo4O14)4- clusters linked through (Cu(terpy))2+ units. In constrast, the Zn(II) phase of stoichiometry identical to that of MOXI-41, [Zn(terpy)Mo2O7](MOXI-42), exhibits a one-dimensional structure characterized by a (Mo2O7)n2n- chain decorated with peripheral (Zn(terpy))2+ subunits. The iron species [(Fe(terpy))2Mo4O12](MOXI-43) is also one-dimensional but exhibits [(Fe(terpy))2(MoO4)2]2+ rings linked through (MoO4)2- tetrahedra. A persistent structural motif which appears in MOXI-40, MOXI-41, and MOXI-43 is the [(M(terpy))2(MoO4)2]n cluster with a cyclic )(M2Mo2O4) core. In general, the secondary metal sites M(II, III) are effective bridging groups between molybdate subunits of varying degrees of aggregation. Furthermore, the ligands passivate the bimetallic oxide from spatial extension in two or three dimensions and provide a routine entree into low-dimensional structural types of the molybdenum oxide family of materials.     

Enhancement mechanism of SERS from cyanine dyes adsorbed on Ag2O colloids

Surface enhancement mechanism of Raman scattering from molecules adsorbed on silver oxide colloids is reported. Absorption spectra and Raman spectra of the cyanine dye D266 and pyridine molecules adsorbed on Ag₂O colloids, and the influences of S₂O₃²⁻ and OH⁻ on the SERS are studied respectively. The results indicate that ‘chemical' enhancement is dominant in Ag₂O colloidal solution. Surface complexes of adsorbed molecules and small silver ion clusters Ag_n⁺ as the SERS active sites make an important contribution to surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). At these active sites, charge transfer between the adsorbed molecules and the small silver ion clusters is the main enhancement origin. The enhancement factor of D266 adsorbed on Ag₂O colloids is theoretically estimated with the excited-state charge transfer model, which is roughly in accordance with the experiments.     

Molecular level study of the formation and the spread of MoO3 on Au(111) by scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The formation of MoO(3) and its spontaneous spread over an Au (111) surface have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Metallic Mo clusters grown by Mo(CO)(6) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have a constant size independent of the Mo coverage. Molecular oxygen does not react with low coverage of Mo, probably due to the encapsulation of the Mo clusters by Au. At higher coverage, O(2) reacts with Mo, partially transforming the metallic Mo to Mo(4+). NO(2) can oxidize Mo efficiently to Mo(6+) and Mo(5+) species at all coverages investigated. XPS experiments show that the integrated intensity of the Mo 3d peaks increases by a factor of 2 upon the oxidation, suggesting the spread of the MoO(3) over the surface. The STM study confirms this suggestion and provides the mechanistic details of the spreading. Mo oxide forms ramified two-dimensional islands covering a substantially larger fraction of the Au surface than the metallic Mo. We propose that the morphology change starts with the diffusion of oxide clusters (ramified-cluster-diffusion mechanism), followed by their breakdown to highly disordered two-dimensional islands of molecular MoO(3).     

具有SPR效应的Ag/Ag2MoO4材料在可见光区的光催化性能研究

作为一类新兴的光催化材料,钼酸盐纳米材料具有高表面能、多活性位点和高选择性等优点,在可见光催化降解污染物方面有着重要应用,近年来受到广泛关注.作为钼酸盐家族重要的一员,钼酸银在杀菌、表面增强拉曼光谱、气敏材料等方面均有重要应用,但其光催化性能却鲜见报道.这是由于它的光谱响应范围窄和广生载流子分离效率低所致.虽然近来有少量基于钼酸银的复合材料的光催化研究,但催化效果不佳.众所周知,作为自由电子体系,诸多金属纳米粒子,如贵金属、碱金属等,存在表面等离子体共振效应(SPR),使得贵金属,特别是Ag,Au等纳米粒子在可见区域有较强的吸收.利用这一特性,Awazu等将Ag纳米颗粒沉积在TiO2表面,创造性地将SPR应用于光催化反应,开发出在可见光谱区具有宽光谱吸收特征的Ag/TiO2.随后陆续合成出基于SPR效应的Ag@AgCl,Ag/Ag3PO4材料均具有良好的光催化性能.基于此,本文在十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)的存在下,采用水热法一步合成了具有SPR效应的Ag/Ag2MoO4可见光催化材料,并利用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、紫外可见漫反射(DRS)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)等技术对材料进行了表征.系统地探讨了体系pH值、反应时间、表面活性剂用量对产物的晶相和微观形貌等的影响.此外,还利用罗丹明B降解实验考察了上述合成条件对材料可见光催化活性的影响,并通过捕获剂实验深入地研究了起催化作用的活性物种.XRD结果表明,体系的pH值对材料的晶型有极大影响,随着pH由酸性变至中性、碱性,最终得到的钼酸银也由Ag2Mo2O7过渡到Ag2MoO4.SEM图显示在最优条件(pH为7,加入0.5 g SDS,160oC下水热14 h)下制得的钼酸银为八面体的Ag2MoO4,且其表面均匀地分布着Ag纳米颗粒,与XPS图谱结果一致.另外表面活性剂SDS的用量对所合成材料的形貌影响很大.本文可一步得到以八面体Ag2MoO4为主的Ag/Ag2MoO4复合材料,是因为SDS的疏水长链可以诱导Ag2MoO4的各向异性生长.DRS结果表明,Ag2MoO4八面体上Ag颗粒的引入使其在可见光区的吸收明显加强,因而它在可见光下催化降解罗丹明B降解反应活性增加.捕获剂实验结果表明,起决定性作用的活性物种是光生空穴,另外?OH也起了一定作用.     

Mechanism of photoinduced superhydrophilicity on the TiO2 photocatalyst surface

The physicochemical properties of the H(2)O molecules adsorbed on TiO(2) surfaces during UV light irradiation were fully investigated by near-infrared (NIR) absorption spectroscopy. It was found that the H(2)O molecules adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces desorb during UV light irradiation by the heating effect of the light source. Since the amount of the H(2)O adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces decreased, the distribution of the hydrogen bonds within the H(2)O molecules decreased, resulting in a decrease in the surface tension of the H(2)O clusters. The decrease in the surface tension of H(2)O under UV light irradiation was found to be one of the most important driving forces in which the H(2)O clusters on the TiO(2) surface spread out thermodynamically, forming H(2)O thin layers. The partial elimination of the hydrocarbons from the TiO(2) surface by the photocatalytic complete oxidation was seen to be the other important factor, providing free spaces on the surface where the H(2)O clusters could spill over and spread out to form the thin H(2)O layers. Moreover, the temperature changes of the TiO(2) powder samples during UV light irradiation were found to show a good correspondence with the changes in the contact angle of the H(2)O droplets on the TiO(2) thin film surfaces. Especially the time scale for the hydrophilic conversion on the TiO(2) surfaces under UV light irradiation was in good agreement with the decrease in the amount of H(2)O molecules adsorbed on the TiO(2) surfaces but not the amount of the hydrocarbons eliminated by the photocatalytic oxidation reactions, showing that the adsorption and desorption of H(2)O molecules are generally quite sensitive to the temperature changes of solid surfaces.     

Formation and distribution of neutral vanadium, niobium, and tantalum oxide clusters: single photon ionization at 26.5 eV

Neutral vanadium, niobium, and tantalum oxide clusters are studied by single photon ionization employing a 26.5 eV/photon soft x-ray laser. During the ionization process the metal oxide clusters are almost free of fragmentation. The most stable neutral clusters of vanadium, niobium, and tantalum oxides are of the general form (MO2)0,1(M2O5)y. M2O5 is identified as a basic building unit for these three neutral metal oxide species. Each cluster family (Mm, m=1,...,9) displays at least one oxygen deficient and/or oxygen rich cluster stoichiometry in addition to the above most stable species. For tantalum and niobium families with even m, oxygen deficient clusters have the general formula (MO2)2(M2O5)y. For vanadium oxide clusters, oxygen deficient clusters are detected for all cluster families Vm (m=1,[ellipsis (horizontal)],9), with stable structures (VO2)x(V2O5)y. Oxygen rich metal oxide clusters with high ionization energies (IE>10.5 eV, 118 nm photon) are detected with general formulas expressed as (MO2)2 (M2O5)y O1,2,3. Oxygen rich clusters, in general, have up to three attached hydrogen atoms, such as VO3H1,2, V2O5H1,2, Nb2O5H1,2, etc.     

Layered lanthanide molybdate pillared by chiral [lambda-Mo2O4EDTA]2-

Hydrothermal reactions of Na2[Mo2O4EDTA].5H2O and LnCl3.6H2O produce the chiral layered lanthanide molybdate oxides pillared by the chiral cluster ligand, [Ln(H2O)MoO4]2[lambda-Mo2O4EDTA] (Ln = Gd, 1; Eu, 2; Tb, 3; Y, 4). The tetradentate molybdate bridges Ln3+ to form a square grid structure, which is pillared by the chiral cluster ligand, [lambda-Mo2O4EDTA]2-, into a 3-D chiral framework structure. Strong VCD (vibrational circular dichroism) signals confirm the chirality of the bulk oxide materials. These bimetallic oxide materials are of highly thermal stability. The magnetic interactions between the Ln3+ ions in 1 and 3 are weak antiferromagnetic.     

Contrasting products in the reactions of Cr, Mo, and W atoms with H2O2: Argon matrix infrared spectra and theoretical calculations

Products in the reactions of H2O2 and H2, O2 mixtures have been observed by matrix infrared absorptions and identified through comparisons with vibrational frequencies calculated for these molecules. The chromium reactions are dominated by lower oxidation state products, whereas molybdenum and tungsten chemistry favors higher oxidation state products. For example chromium dihydroxide, Cr(OH)2, molybdenum hydride oxide, H2MoO2, and tungsten hydride oxide, H2WO2, were observed in laser-ablated metal atom reactions with H2O2, and calculations show that these are the most stable molecules for this stoichiometry. Chromium monohydroxide, CrOH, was identified through O-H and Cr-O stretching modes, while HWO was observed by W-H and W=O stretching modes. The metal oxyhydroxides, HMO(OH), were observed for all metals. However, reactions with two H2O2 molecules give OCr(OH)2, MoO2(OH)2, and WO2(OH)2. The relative stabilities of different structures for Cr, Mo, and W are due to different participations of occupied d orbitals. The reactivity of the cold metal atoms with H2O2 on annealing the solid argon matrix increases on going down the group.     

On the copper oxide neutral cluster distribution in the gas phase: detection through 355 nm and 193 nm multiphoton and 118 nm single photon ionization

The distribution of neutral copper oxide clusters in the gas phase created by laser ablation is detected and characterized through time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (TOFMS). The neutral copper oxide clusters are ionized by two different approaches: Multiphoton absorption of 355 and 193 nm radiation; and single photon absorption of 118 nm radiation. Based on the observed cluster patterns as a function of experimental conditions (e.g., copper oxide or metal sample, ablation laser power, expansion gas, etc.) and on the width of the TOFMS features, one can uncover the true neutral cluster distribution of CumOn species following laser ablation of the sample. Ablation of a metal sample generates only small neutral CumOn clusters for m less, similar 4 and n approximately 1, 2. Ablation of copper oxide samples generates neutral clusters of the form CumOm (m < or = 4) and CumO(m-1) (m > 4). These clusters are directly detected without fragmentation using single photon, photoionization with 118 nm laser radiation. Using 355 and 193 nm multiphoton ionization, the observed cluster ions are mostly of the form Cu2mOm+ for 4 < or = m < or = 10 (193 nm ionization) and CumO1,2 (355 nm ionization) for copper oxide samples. Neutral cluster fragmentation due to multiphoton processes seems mainly to be of the form CumO(m,m-1) --> CumO(m/2,m/2+1). Neutral cluster growth mechanisms are discussed based on the cluster yield from different samples (e.g., Cu metal, CuO powder, and Cu2O powder).     

Precipitation of dispersed silver particles using acetone as reducing agent

A novel environmentally friendly solution-based method for preparing dispersed silver particles is described. The simple and convenient approach consists in heating silver oxide particles dispersed in a highly alkaline water/acetone mixture. The data presented clearly show that acetone reduces completely and rapidly Ag(2)O particles to metallic silver at 60°C. A mechanism explaining the provenance of the electrons responsible for the reduction of silver is proposed.     

N-heterocycle chelated oxomolybdenum(VI and V) complexes with bidentate citrate

A 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) chelated molybdenum(VI) citrate, [(MoO2)2O(H2cit)(phen)(H2O)2] x H2O (1) (H4cit = citric acid), is isolated from the reaction of citric acid, ammonium molybdate and phen in acidic media (pH 0.5-1.0). A citrato oxomolybdenum(V) complex, [(MoO)2O(H2cit)2(bpy)2] x 4H2O (2), is synthesized by the reduction of citrato molybdate with hydrazine hydrochloride in the presence of 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), and a monomeric molybdenum(VI) citrate [MoO2(H2cit)(bpy)] x H2O (6) is also isolated and characterized structurally. The citrate ligand in the three neutral compounds uses the alpha-alkoxy and alpha-carboxy groups to chelate as a bidentate leaving the two beta-carboxylic acid groups free, that is different from the tridentate chelated mode in the citrato molybdate(VI and V) complexes. 1 and in solution show obvious dissociation based on 13C NMR studies.     

Confocal laser microspectroscopic Rabi-flopping study of an iron oxide emitter surface used for Rydberg matter generation

Rydberg matter (RM) is a novel metal-like material in the form of electronically excited clusters of atoms (e.g. K and H) or molecules (e.g. H(2)). It is used as the inverted laser medium for IR in the RM laser. RM has recently been formed in its lowest state, which is proposed to be metallic hydrogen [Energy and Fuels 19 (2005) 2235]. An emitter material (K-doped iron oxide catalyst) that forms RM is studied by a specialized spectroscopic method, needed to detect the Rydberg states on the emitter surface. The spectroscopic method is phase-delay Rabi-flopping; it gives spectra from the time delay due to the periodic motion of the optical nutation vector. The formation of Rydberg species in the form of complexes K*-M (M a general small molecule) and (K-M)* is studied. So-called avoided transitions in K(+) ions are detected, of the same type as observed as transitions in the RM laser by stimulated emission. The formation and detection of Rydberg complexes containing H and H(2) is of great interest for metallic hydrogen production. Complexes with M=CH(2), H(2)O (or OH), CHO, H(2) and M'H are observed. Avoided transitions in RM clusters K(N)(*) are also identified. The identification of H containing Rydberg complexes on the surface indicates that metallic hydrogen is formed by the same cluster desorption route as other RM clusters.     

V2O5-MoO3-SiO2表面复合氧化物催化剂的制备与表征

采用表面改性法制备了V2O5-SiO2,MoO3-SiO2,V2O5-MoO3-SiO2复合氧化物催化剂,并用TPR和IR技术研究了催化剂的表面结构及V=O,M0=O的活性,同时用化学吸附IR技术研究了催化剂样品对异丁烷的化学吸附性能.实验结果表明:这些复合氧化物催化剂对异丁烷都有较高的化学吸附能力;SiO2能缓解表面Lewis碱位V=O和Mo=O的氧化能力,有利于选择氧化.     

Kinetic and spectroscopic study of 1O2 generation from H2O2 catalyzed by LDH-MoO4(2-) (LDH=layered double hydroxide)

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), exchanged with molybdate, decompose H2O2 to form one molecule of singlet-state dioxygen (1O2) from two molecules of H2O2. The dependence of the kinetics of H2O2 decomposition on Mo and H2O2 concentrations and on temperature has been related to structural characteristics of the material (X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), IR spectroscopy, N2 adsorption, thermogravimetry) and to molybdate speciation as revealed by in-situ studies in the presence of peroxide (FT Raman, diffuse reflectance UV/visible spectroscopy). The H2O2 decomposition rate is linearly correlated with the amount of LDH-exchanged molybdate, except when a considerable fraction of the molybdate occupies less accessible interlayer positions. A maximum in the H2O2 decomposition rate as the H2O2 concentration is increased is due to the successive formation of mono-, di-, tri-, and tetraperoxomolybdates. This behavior was modeled successfully by using the equilibrium constants for formation of the Mo-peroxo complexes, and the rate constants for decay of the peroxomolybdates with 1O2 liberation. Time-resolved diffuse reflectance and Raman observations of the various MoO4(2-)-peroxide adducts are in line with the proposed kinetic scheme. Of all the Mo-peroxo species on the LDH, the triperoxomolybdate has the highest rate for decay to 1O2. Comparison with the kinetics of dissolved molybdate shows that the monomolecular decay of all peroxomolybdate species proceeds much faster at the LDH surface than in solution. Consequently, maximal rates per Mo atom are at least twice as high for the heterogeneous LDH catalyst as for the homogeneous systems.     

Reactions associated with ionization in water: a direct ab initio dynamics study of ionization in (H2O)17

Quasiclassical ab initio simulations of the ionization dynamics in a (H(2)O)(17) cluster, the first water cluster that includes a fourfold coordinated (internally solvated) water molecule, have been carried out to obtain a detailed picture of the elementary processes and energy redistribution induced by ionization in a model of aqueous water. General features observable from the simulations are the following: (i) well within 100 fs following the ionization, one or more proton transfers are seen to take place from the "ionized molecule" to neighboring molecules and beyond, forming a hydronium ion and a hydroxyl radical; (ii) two water molecules close to the ionized water molecule play an important role in the reaction, in what we term a "reactive trimer." The reaction time is gated by the encounter of the ionized water molecule with these two neighboring molecules, and this occurs anytime between 10 and 50 fs after the ionization. The distances of approach between the ionized molecule and the neighboring molecules indeed display best the time characteristics of the transfer of a proton, and thus of the formation of a hydronium ion and a OH radical. These findings are consistent with those for smaller cyclic clusters, albeit the dynamics of the proton transfer displays more varieties in the larger cluster than in the small cyclic clusters. We used a partitioning scheme for the kinetic energy in the (H(2)O)(17) system that distinguishes between the reactive trimer and the surrounding "medium." The analysis of the simulations indicates that the kinetic energy of the surrounding medium increases markedly right after the event of ionization, a manifestation of the local heating of the medium. The increase in kinetic energy is consistent with a reorganization of the surrounding medium, electrostatically forced in a very short time by the water cation and in a longer time by the formation of the hydronium ion.     

Evidence of deprotonation of aromatic acids and amides adsorbed on silver colloids by surface-enhanced Raman scattering

The surface-enhanced raman scattering (SERS) of benzoic acid/benzamide and salicylic acid/salicylamide on silver colloids show important wavenumber shifts with respect to the Raman spectrum of the band assigned to mode 1;ν(ring) when adsorbed on the metal surface (ca. +50 cm(-1)). In the case of the acids, this shift is originated by the deprotonation of the carboxylic group in agreement with the well-known fact that aromatic acids are adsorbed on silver as carboxylates. However, the main conclusion of this work is that a similar behavior is found for the respective amides that do not behave as acids in water solution. The here studied aromatic amides are adsorbed as azanions on silver nanoparticles even at pH 7 and link to the metal through the nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the ionized carboxamide group. This is a very surprising result given that amides are not significantly ionized even at pH 13-14. The deprotonation of these amides is not determined exclusively by the pH, but it is mainly caused by the strong affinity of the anionic species to the metal. Therefore, the SERS must be cautiously used as a universal pH sensor if the adsorption occurs through the ionizable group. In order to support this conclusion, theoretical DFT force field calculations have been carried out, confirming that deprotonated benzamide and salicylamide interact with the metallic surface.     

Study of the elementary processes involved in the selective oxidation of methane over MoOx/SiO2

Isolated molybdate species supported on silica are reported to have the highest specific activity and selectivity for the direct oxidation of methane to formaldehyde. The present investigation was undertaken to understand the elementary redox processes involved in the formation of formaldehyde over such species. A MoO(x)/SiO(2) catalyst was prepared with a Mo loading of 0.44 Mo/nm(2). On the basis of evidence from extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and Raman spectroscopy, the Mo atoms in this catalyst are present as isolated, pentacoordinated molybdate species containing a single Mo=O bond. Isotopic labeling experiments in combination with in-situ Raman spectroscopy were used to examine the reducibility of the dispersed molybdate species and the exchange of O atoms between the gas phase and the catalyst. It was established that treatment of MoO(x)/SiO(2) at 873 K under pure methane reduces the dispersed molybdate species to only a limited extent and results mainly in the deposition of amorphous carbon. During CH(4) oxidation to formaldehyde, the catalyst undergoes only a very small degree of reduction and typically only approximately 50-500 ppm of Mo(VI) is reduced to Mo(IV). Reactions carried out using CH(4) and (18)O(2) show that there is extensive scrambling of O atoms between the species in the gas phase and the catalyst. Additional experiments revealed that H(2)O formed in the reaction is the principal species responsible for the exchange of O atoms between the gas phase and the SiO(2) support. Low concentrations of H(2)O were observed to enhance the activity of MoO(x)/SiO(2) for CH(4) oxidation to formaldehyde. A mechanism for the oxidation of CH(4) over MoO(x)/SiO(2) was formulated in light of the observations made here and is discussed in the light of previous studies. It is proposed that peroxides are produced by the reaction of O(2) with a small concentration of reduced molybdate species and that the reaction of CH(4) with these peroxide species leads to the formation of formaldehyde. The proposed mechanism also accounts for the positive effects of low concentrations of H(2)O on the rate of formaldehyde formation.     

Investigation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid from a new surface-enhanced Raman scattering system

In this paper, we developed a new kind of substrate, silver-coated indium tin oxide (ITO), to investigate the character of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA). Homogeneous Ag-coated ITO substrate was obtained by decomposing AgNO(3) on the surface of ITO. A SERS spectrum of very good quality of "silver nanoparticles/PHBA/silver-coated ITO" was reported by adding PHBA aqueous solution and silver colloid onto the surface of silver-coated ITO repeatedly. PHBA molecules absorbed onto the surface of the silver nanoparticles through ionized carboxyl, and the PHBA molecules tended to tilt on the surface in this system. The rich information obtained from the silver nanoparticles/PHBA/silver-coated ITO system indicates that this is a highly SERS-active system. Not only was the number of the vibrational modes increased, but also were the frequencies of Raman bands shifted. The two SERS mechanisms, the "electromagnetic" and "chemical" mechanism, were mainly responsible for the experimental results. Furthermore, the silver nanoparticles modified on the silver-coated ITO surface play an important role in magnifying the surface local electric field near the silver film surface through resonant surface plasmon excitation.     

Synthesis, crystal and electronic structures, and magnetic properties of LiLn9Mo16O35 (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) compounds containing the original cluster Mo16O36

The new compounds LiLn(9)Mo(16)O(35) (Ln=La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) were synthesized from stoichiometric mixtures of Li(2)MoO(4), Ln(2)O(3), Pr(6)O(11) or CeO(2), MoO(3), and Mo heated at 1600 °C for 48 h in a molybdenum crucible sealed under a low argon pressure. The crystal structure, determined from a single crystal of the Nd member, showed that the main building block is the Mo(16)O(36) unit, the Mo(16) core of which is totally new and results from the fusion of two bioctahedral Mo(10) clusters. It can also be viewed as a fragment of an infinite twin chain of edge-sharing Mo(6) octahedra. The Mo(16)O(36) cluster units share some oxygen atoms to form infinite chains running parallel to the b axis, which are separated by the rare-earth and lithium cations. (7)Li-NMR experiments, carried out at high field on the nonmagnetic LiLa(9)Mo(16)O(35), provided insights into the local environment of the lithium ions. Magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed the trivalent oxidation state of the magnetic rare-earth cations and indicated the absence of localized moments on the Mo(16) clusters. The electronic structure of the LiLn(9)Mo(16)O(35) compounds was analyzed using molecular and periodic quantum calculations. The study of the molecular orbital diagrams of isolated Mo(16)O(36) models allowed the understanding of this unique metallic architecture. Periodic density functional theory calculations demonstrated that few interactions occur between the Mo(16) clusters, and predicted semiconducting properties for LiLn(9)Mo(16)O(35) as a band gap of 0.57 eV was computed for the lanthanum phase.