A Raman Spectroscopic Investigation on Ce2(SO4)3(aq) and La2(SO4)3(aq)—Ion Pairs and/or Sulfato-Complex Formation?
摘要
Thorough Raman spectroscopic measurements have been made of aqueous solutions of Ce(ClO4)3, Ce2(SO4)3, La2(SO4)3, Na2SO4(aq), and ternary Ce(ClO4)3/Ce2(SO4)3 down to 50 cm−1 and in some cases to minimal concentrations (≥ 5·10−4 mol·kg−1) at 22 °C. In dilute Ce(ClO4)3(aq) solutions, the breathing mode ν1–CeO9 of [Ce(OH2)9]3+(aq) has been observed at 344 cm−1 as a weak, strongly polarized band, signifying that no contact ion pairs (IPs) are formed. In contrast, in Ce2(SO4)3(aq), the ν1 breathing mode of the [Ce(OH2)7(SO4)]+ species appears at 320 cm−1. Simultaneously, the ν1–SO42− mode at 981 cm−1 shows a band component at 992 cm−1 assigned to the ligated sulfate of the sulfato-complex species. The ligated sulfate also shows specific bands in the deformation region and the antisymmetric stretching region.
After subtraction of the sulfato-complex band at 992 cm−1, the ν1–SO42− band in Ce2(SO4)3(aq) showed systematic differences from that in Na2SO4(aq). This is consistent with a previously undetected ν1–SO42− band at 982.6 cm−1 that can be assigned to the presence of ion pairs Ce3+ (H2O)nSO42− (n = 1,2) with interposed water molecules. In a solution with a high Ce3+/SO42− concentration ratio, a further ν1SO42− mode at 1002.5 cm−1 was observed and assigned to a 1:2 complex.
Quantitative Raman spectroscopy on Ce2(SO4)3(aq) solutions (0.00316–0.1627 mol·kg−1), taking all the 1:1 sulfate species associated with Ce3+, resulted in the overall association constant as log10KA0 equal to 3.58 ± 0.1 at 22 °C. A re-evaluation of the study of La2(SO4)3(aq) solutions in which the occurrence of sulfato-complex species, and including the ion pairs of the type La3+(H2O)nSO42− (n = 1,2), leads to a log10KA at 3.59 ± 0.1 (at 22 °C). Furthermore, the third step of the ion association process, K3, was determined at 3.2 and the re-determined K3 value in La2(SO4)3(aq) solutions at 1.6. The Raman spectroscopic results on Ce2(SO4)3(aq) and La2(SO4)3(aq) contradict the claim of a recent DRS study, disputing the existence of sulfato-complex speciation in La2(SO4)3(aq) solutions.