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Preparation and characterization of chemically bonded argon-boroxol ring cation complexes
Jiaye Jin1, Wei Li1, Yuhong Liu1
1Department of Chemistry , Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials , Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials , Fudan University , Shanghai 200433 , China .
Chemical Science
|October 10, 2017
Summary
Researchers studied argon-boron-oxide cation complexes using spectroscopy and quantum calculations. Most complexes featured aromatic boroxol rings and argon-boron bonds, unlike the linear B3O4+ chain.
Area of Science:
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Computational Chemistry
Background:
- Boron-oxide clusters are crucial in materials science and catalysis.
- Understanding the structural motifs and bonding in small boron-oxide clusters is fundamental.
- Argon complexes serve as valuable probes for studying cluster structures and reactivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel argon-boron-oxide cation complexes.
- To elucidate the structural properties and bonding characteristics of these complexes.
- To investigate the influence of stoichiometry on the structural preferences of boron-oxide clusters.
Main Methods:
- Gas-phase synthesis via laser vaporization supersonic ion source.
- Vibrational spectroscopy using mass-selected infrared photodissociation spectroscopy.
- Quantum chemical calculations (e.g., DFT) for structure and bonding analysis.
Main Results:
- Preparation and characterization of [ArB3O4]+, [ArB3O5]+, [ArB4O6]+, and [ArB5O7]+ cation complexes.
- Spectroscopic and computational evidence for planar structures in [ArB3O5]+, [ArB4O6]+, and [ArB5O7]+, featuring aromatic boroxol rings and Ar-B covalent bonds.
- Identification of a weakly bound chain structure for the [ArB3O4]+ cation.
Conclusions:
- The stability and structure of boron-oxide clusters are strongly dependent on stoichiometry.
- Aromatic boroxol rings are favored structural motifs in larger argon-boron-oxide cations.
- Argon acts as a stabilizing agent and can form covalent bonds within these cluster complexes.
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