A hydrogen-1, nitrogen-15, and chlorine-35 NMR coordination study of Lu(ClO4)3 and Lu(NO3)3 in aqueous solvent mixtures

A coordination study of Lu(III) has been carried out for the nitrate and perchlorate salts in aqueous mixtures of acetone-d₆ and Freon-12 by¹H,¹⁵N and³⁵Cl NMR spectroscopy. At temperatures lower than –90°C, proton and ligand exchange are slow enough to permit the direct observation of¹H resonance signals for coordinated and free water molecules, leading to an accurate measure of the Lu(III) hydration number. In perchlorate solution, in the absence of inner-shell ion-pairing, Lu(III) exhibits a maximum coordination number of six over the allowable concentration range of study, contrasting markedly with the report of values of six to nine or greater as determined by a similar NMR method. The absence of contact ion-pairing was confirmed by³⁵Cl NMR chemical shift and linewidth measurements. Extensive ion-pairing was observed in the nitrate solutions as reflected by the lower Lu(III) hydration numbers of two to three in these systems, the observation of two coordinated water signals, and¹⁵N NMR signals for two complexes. The¹H and¹⁵N NMR spectra and the hydration number could be accounted for by the presence of (H₂O)₄Lu(NO₃)²⁺ and (H₂O)₂Lu(NO₃)₂¹⁺.