Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
Inter- and intraconfigurational transitions of Nd3+ in hexafluoroelpasolite lattices
Peter A Tanner1, Lixin Ning, Vladimir N Makhov
1Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China. bhtan@cityu.edu.hk
Abstract:
Excitation of the 4f3 ion Nd3+ in hexafluoroelpasolite lattices by synchrotron radiation of wavelength approximately 185 nm leads to fast 4f(2)5d --> 4f3 emission below 52,630 cm(-1) and slower 4f3 --> 4f3 emission from the luminescent states (4)F(3/2) gamma8u (11 524 cm(-1)) and 2G2(9/2) gamma8u (approximately 47,500 cm(-1)). The near-infrared emission is well-resolved, and a clear interpretation of the 4I(9/2) crystal field levels and of the one-phonon vibronic sideband is given. The excitation spectrum of the 2G2(9/2) emission enables clarification of the structure of the 4f(2)5d configuration (which extends from approximately 52,000 to 128,000 cm(-1)). Detailed energy level and intensity calculations have been performed, which provide simulations of the d-f emission and the f-d excitation spectra in good agreement with experiment. It is interesting that although the 4f3 2G2(9/2) gamma8u --> 4f3 4I(J) transitions are very weak in intensity compared with transitions terminating upon higher multiplet terms, most of the 4f(2)5d (3H) 4I(9/2) gamma8g --> 4f3 emission intensity resides in the transitions to 4I(J).
Related Concept Videos
03:35Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals II
03:02Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
02:58Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
02:46Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
02:42Valence Bond Theory
01:25Deactivation Processes: Jablonski Diagram