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Formation of Complex Ions

Formation of Complex Ions

A type of Lewis acid-base chemistry involves the formation of a complex ion (or a coordination complex) comprising a central atom, typically a transition metal cation, surrounded by ions or molecules called ligands. These ligands can be neutral molecules like H2O or NH3, or ions such as CN− or OH−. Often, the ligands act as Lewis bases, donating a pair of electrons to the central atom. These types of Lewis acid-base reactions are examples of a broad subdiscipline called coordination...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Growth and Electrostatic/chemical Properties of Metal/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures

Growth and Electrostatic/chemical Properties of Metal/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures

Published on: February 8, 2018

Dynamic Surface Restructuring in Cu(Au) Alloys Driven by Oxygen-Mediated Au Mobility.

Dongxiang Wu¹, Xianhu Sun¹, Lianfeng Zou¹

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science and Engineering Program, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902, United States.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters

|July 9, 2025

Summary

Alloying elements dynamically alter metal surface structures under reactive conditions. In copper-gold alloys, gold atoms move to the subsurface during oxidation, creating reversible hill-and-valley surface patterns.

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Area of Science:

Surface science
Materials science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Alloying significantly impacts metal surface properties.
Atomic-level understanding of alloying element influence on surface dynamics under reactive conditions is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the atomic-level mechanisms of alloying elements influencing surface structure dynamics in reactive environments.
To investigate the dynamic surface restructuring of copper-gold (Cu(Au)) alloys in oxidizing conditions.

Main Methods:

Utilized a Cu(Au) model system in oxidizing environments.
Observed oxygen-induced surface transformations at the atomic level.

Main Results:

Revealed a dynamic transformation of the topmost atomic layer into a hill-and-valley morphology.
Demonstrated reversible switching between undulated and flattened surface states.
Identified cyclical gold (Au) atom mobility (subsurface retreat and surface resegregation) driven by oxygen adsorption/desorption cycles.

Conclusions:

Established a feedback loop where surface restructuring is coupled to oxygen pressure changes.
Provided a general framework for understanding atomic-scale surface restructuring in alloys driven by differential chemical reactivity.
Highlighted implications for designing corrosion-resistant coatings and tunable catalytic nanostructures.