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Related Concept Videos

Alkali Metals03:06

Alkali Metals

25.3K
Group 1 elements are soft and shiny metallic solids. They are malleable, ductile, and good conductors of heat and electricity. The melting points of the alkali metals are unusually low for metals and decrease going down the group, while the density increases going down the group with the exception of potassium (Table 1).
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
25.3K
Basicity of Aliphatic Amines01:21

Basicity of Aliphatic Amines

7.1K
Amines can behave as Brønsted–Lowry bases by accepting a proton from the acid to form corresponding conjugate acids. Due to a lone pair of nonbonding electrons, aliphatic amines can also act as Lewis bases by forming a covalent bond with an electrophile.
To measure the basicity of amines, two conventions are generally used. The first defines Kb as the basicity constant for the deprotonation reaction of water by the amine, as presented in Figure 1. Conventionally, lower Kb indicates higher...
7.1K
Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes01:09

Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes

910
In complexation reactions, metal cations are the electron pair acceptors, and the ligands are the electron pair donors. The stability of the metal complexes depends primarily on the complexing ability of the central metal ion and the nature of the ligands. Generally, the complexing ability of the metal ion depends on the size and charge of the ion. As the metal ion size increases, the stability of the metal complexes decreases, provided that the valency of the metal ion and the ligands remain...
910
Ions as Acids and Bases02:54

Ions as Acids and Bases

27.1K
Salts with Acidic Ions
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:
27.1K
Acidity of 1-Alkynes02:42

Acidity of 1-Alkynes

11.4K

The acidic strength of hydrocarbons follows the order: Alkynes > Alkenes > Alkanes. The strength of an acid is commonly expressed in units of pKa — the lower the pKa, the stronger the acid. Among the hydrocarbons, terminal alkynes have lower pKa values and are, therefore, more acidic. For example, the pKa values for ethane, ethene, and acetylene are 51, 44, and 25, respectively, as shown here.
11.4K
Qualitative Analysis03:46

Qualitative Analysis

26.9K
For solutions containing mixtures of different cations, the identity of each cation can be determined by qualitative analysis. This technique involves a series of selective precipitations with different chemical reagents, each reaction producing a characteristic precipitate for a specific group of cations. Metal ions within a group are further separated by varying the pH, heating the mixture to redissolve a precipitate, or adding other reagents to form complex ions.
For instance, group IV...
26.9K

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Determination of Thermodynamic Properties of Alkaline Earth-liquid Metal Alloys Using the Electromotive Force Technique
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Determination of Thermodynamic Properties of Alkaline Earth-liquid Metal Alloys Using the Electromotive Force Technique

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Does Alkaline-Earth-Metal-Based Superalkali Exist?

Jia-Yuan Liu1, Yong-Jie Xi2, Ying Li1

  • 1Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University , Changchun 130023, China.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. A
|December 15, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers explored alkaline-earth-metal cations (MkF2k-1+) as potential superalkali species. These cations exhibit low electron affinities (EAs) and enhanced stability, offering promising new candidates for the superalkali family.

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Area of Science:

  • Theoretical chemistry
  • Materials science
  • Quantum chemistry

Background:

  • Superalkali species are highly sought-after for their unique electronic properties.
  • Alkali-metal-based superalkalis have been extensively studied.
  • Exploring alternative elemental bases for superalkali design is crucial for expanding their applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of alkaline-earth-metal based cations as novel superalkali species.
  • To theoretically design and characterize MkF2k-1+ (M = Mg, Ca; k = 2, 3) clusters.
  • To compare the stability and properties of these novel cations with traditional alkali-metal superalkalis.

Main Methods:

  • Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were employed.
  • Electron affinities (EAs) were computed to identify superalkali characteristics.
  • Homodien-LUMO (HOMO-LUMO) gaps and dissociation energies were calculated to assess stability.
  • Binding energy values were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Several MkF2k-1+ cations were identified as pseudoalkali or superalkali species due to low EAs.
  • High HOMO-LUMO gaps and positive dissociation energies indicate significant cluster stability.
  • Alkaline-earth-metal based cations demonstrated superior binding energy values compared to alkali-metal counterparts.
  • These cations maintained chemical stability with increasing cluster size.

Conclusions:

  • Alkaline-earth-metal atoms, when paired with halogens, can form stable cations with low electron affinities.
  • These novel cations represent promising new candidates for the superalkali family.
  • The findings suggest a new avenue for designing stable superalkali species with enhanced properties.