Mayara da Silva Santos, doctoral candidate on the College of Freiburg’s Institute of Physics, has found a brand new oxidation state of rhodium. This chemical factor is likely one of the most catalytically essential platinum-group metals and is used, for instance, in catalytic converters for vehicles. Rhodium is definitely already effectively studied. What helped Silva Santos make the uncommon discovery of a surprisingly excessive oxidation state was a brand new strategy: As a part of her doctoral dissertation, she is learning uncommon transition metallic oxides. Her discovery of so-called rhodium(VII) has simply been revealed as an important paper within the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Oxides in an ion lure
“Discoveries are all the time thrilling,” says the Freiburg chemist: “Our oxides are extremely reactive however may play an essential function as reactive intermediate states.” They are often noticed in chemical reactions solely with issue as a result of they’re very short-lived. “We had been in a position to retailer the oxides in a particular ion lure at low temperatures over an prolonged time interval and thus examine them undisturbed.”
Third-highest oxidation state of all components
This interdisciplinary strategy, combining physics and chemistry in addition to experiment and principle, was the important thing to success, says Prof. Dr. Tobias Lau, professor on the College of Freiburg’s Institute of Physics: “The teamwork between totally different disciplines was very useful in pattern manufacturing, mass spectrometry, X-ray spectroscopy, and knowledge evaluation.”
An essential discovering of this interdisciplinary work is that extra valance electrons than beforehand thought can participate in chemical bonds with rhodium and that rhodium can assume the third-highest oxidation state of all components. This highest oxidation state of rhodium — rhodium(VII) — was beforehand unknown however may play a task in chemical reactions.
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