Alkali complexes with

Alkali metal haHdes can be volatile at incineration temperatures. Rapid quenching of volatile salts results in the formation of a submicrometer aerosol which must be removed or else exhaust stack opacity is likely to exceed allowed limits. Sulfates have low volatiHty and should end up in the ash. Alkaline earths also form basic oxides. Calcium is the most common and sulfates are formed ahead of haHdes. Calcium carbonate is not stable at incineration temperatures (see Calcium compounds). Transition metals are more likely to form an oxide ash. Iron (qv), for example, forms ferric oxide in preference to haHdes, sulfates, or carbonates. SiHca and alumina form complexes with the basic oxides, eg, alkaH metals, alkaline earths, and some transition-metal oxidation states, in the ash. 

Complex Ion Formation. Phosphates form water-soluble complex ions with metallic cations, a phenomenon commonly called sequestration. In contrast to many complexing agents, polyphosphates are nonspecific and form soluble, charged complexes with virtually all metallic cations. Alkali metals are weakly complexed, but alkaline-earth and transition metals form more strongly associated complexes (eg, eq. 16). Quaternary ammonium ions are complexed Htde if at all because of their low charge density. The amount of metal ion that can be sequestered by polyphosphates generally increases... 

Exciting developments have occurred in the coordination chemistry of the alkali metals during the last few years that have completely rejuvenated what appeared to be a largely predictable and worked-out area of chemistry. Conventional beliefs had reinforced the predominant impression of very weak coordinating ability, and had rationalized this in terms of the relatively large size and low charge of the cations M+. On this view, stability of coordination complexes should diminish in the sequence Li>Na>K>Rb> Cs, and this is frequently observed, though the reverse sequence is also known for the formation constants of, for example, the weak complexes with sulfate, peroxosulfate, thiosulfate and the hexacyanoferrates in aqueous solutions. 

Figure 4.11 Molecular structures of typical crown-ether complexes with alkali metal cations (a) sodium-water-benzo-I5-crown-5 showing pentagonal-pyramidal coordination of Na by 6 oxygen atoms (b) 18-crown-6-potassium-ethyl acetoacetate enolate showing unsymmelrical coordination of K by 8 oxygen atoms and (c) the RbNCS ion pair coordinated by dibenzo-I8-crown-6 to give seven-fold coordination about Rb.

Oxygen chelates such as those of edta and polyphosphates are of importance in analytical chemistry and in removing Ca ions from hard water. There is no unique. sequence of stabilities since these depend sensitively on a variety of factors where geometrical considerations are not important the smaller ions tend to form the stronger complexes but in polydentate macrocycles steric factors can be crucial. Thus dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 (p. 96) forms much stronger complexes with Sr and Ba than with Ca (or the alkali metals) as shown in Fig. 5.6. Structural data are also available and an example of a solvated 8-coordinate Ca complex [(benzo-l5-crown-5)-Ca(NCS)2-MeOH] is shown in Fig. 5.7. The coordination polyhedron is not regular Ca lies above the mean plane of the 5 ether oxygens... 

Novel electron-transfer reactions mediated by alkali metals complexed with crown ethers as macrocyclic ligands 98ACR55. 

A certain crown ether having additional coordination sites for a trasition metal cation (71) changes the transport property for alkali metal cations when it complexes with the transition metal cation 76) (Fig. 13). The fact that a carrier can be developed which has a reversible complexation property for a transition metal cation strongly suggests that this type of ionophore can be applied to the active transport system. 

Poly (macrocyclic) compounds. The analytical application of compounds such as crown polyethers and cryptands is based on their ability to function as ligands and form stable stoichiometric complexes with certain cations. Special importance is due to their preference for alkali metal ions which do not form complexes with many other ligands. A number of these compounds are commercially available and their properties and analytical applications have been described by Cheng et a/.11... 

The cobalt complex is usually formed in a hot acetate-acetic acid medium. After the formation of the cobalt colour, hydrochloric acid or nitric acid is added to decompose the complexes of most of the other heavy metals present. Iron, copper, cerium(IV), chromium(III and VI), nickel, vanadyl vanadium, and copper interfere when present in appreciable quantities. Excess of the reagent minimises the interference of iron(II) iron(III) can be removed by diethyl ether extraction from a hydrochloric acid solution. Most of the interferences can be eliminated by treatment with potassium bromate, followed by the addition of an alkali fluoride. Cobalt may also be isolated by dithizone extraction from a basic medium after copper has been removed (if necessary) from acidic solution. An alumina column may also be used to adsorb the cobalt nitroso-R-chelate anion in the presence of perchloric acid, the other elements are eluted with warm 1M nitric acid, and finally the cobalt complex with 1M sulphuric acid, and the absorbance measured at 500 nm. 

Structures of organic complexes with alkali metal ions. M. R. Truter, Struct. Bonding (Berlin), 1973,16, 71-111 (107). 

The sites for complex formation in DMSO with inorganic salts depend remarkably on the nature of the metals involved in the salts. The alkali or alkali earth metallic salts form a complex with the oxygen atom in DMSO while Pd(II) or Pt(II) associates strongly at the sulphur atom. The IR frequency of the S—O bond of DMSO shifts to even lower wave numbers when associated with such metal cations as Li+, Na+ or Ca+ +34. On the other hand, in the case of Pd(II) or Pt(II), the S—O frequency appears at higher wave numbers, at around llOO-llAOcm 135. These different shifts for the S—O frequency afford a convenient diagnosis to determine whether the cation associates with the oxygen or the sulphur atom in DMSO. 

Polycrystalline and well-oriented specimens of pure amylose have been trapped both in the A- and B-forms of starch, and their diffraction patterns84-85 are suitable for detailed structure analysis. Further, amylose can be regenerated in the presence of solvents or complexed with such molecules as alcohols, fatty acids, and iodine the molecular structures and crystalline arrangements in these materials are classified under V-amylose. When amylose complexes with alkali or such salts as KBr, the resulting structures86 are surprisingly far from those of V-amyloses. 

Tributsch H (1982) Photoelectrochemical Energy Conversion Involving Transition Metal d-States and Intercalation of Layer Compounds. 49 127-175 Truter MR (1973) Structures of Organic Complexes with Alkali Metal Ions. 16 71-111 Tytko KH, Mehmke J, Kurad D (1999) Bond Length-Bond Valence Relationships, With Particular Reference to Polyoxometalate Chemistry. 93 1-64 Tytko KH (1999) A Bond Model for Polyoxometalate Ions Composed of M06 Octahedra (MOk Polyhedra with k > 4). 93 65-124... 

In conclusion, polymer electrolytes based on phosphazene backbone and containing ether side chains are, after complexation with alkali metal salts, among the highest ionically solvent-free polymer salt complexes, with conductivities in the order of 10" -10" S cm However, these conductivities are still below the value of 10 S cm" which is considered to be the minimum for practical applications. Therefore the design of new polyphosphazenes electrolytes with a higher conductivity and also a higher dimensional stability still remains a challenge for future researchers. 

The rates of reaction vary with the isomer in the order 3 > 4 > 2. The imido complex may then be hydrolyzed under more vigorous acid conditions to give ammonium ion and the carboxylic acid, probably via the intermediate formation of the acyl complex. In this case the 2-isomer reacts more rapidly than the others. Treatment of the imido complexes with alkali, however, liberates the nitrile (see also Seetion B,l,e) ... 

Beside complexation with transition-metals, PAM 4 exhibited unusual chemistry when treated with an alkali metal. Addition of four equivalents of lithium... 

Crown ethers (Fig. 3.57) and cryptands (Fig. 3.58) can solubilize organic and inorganic alkali metal salts even in nonpolar organic solvents they form a complex with the cation (see Fig. 3.57c), and thus act as an organic mask (Gates, 1992). 

Truter, M. R. Structures of Organic Complexes with Alkali Metal Ions. Vol. 16, pp. 71-111. 

Chlorogenic acid forms a 1 1 complex with caffeine, which can be crystallized from aqueous alcohol and yields very little free caffeine on extraction with chloroform. Other compounds with which caffeine will complex in this way include isoeugenol, coumarin, indole-acetic acid, and anthocyanidin. The basis for this selection was the requirement for a substituted aromatic ring and a conjugated double bond in forming such a complex. This kind of complex does modify the physiological effects of caffeine.14 Complex formation will also increase the apparent aqueous solubility of caffeine in the presence of alkali benzoates, cinnamates, citrates, and salicylates.9... 

Especially sensitive and selective potassium and some other ion-selective electrodes employ special complexing agents in their membranes, termed ionophores (discussed in detail on page 445). These substances, which often have cyclic structures, bind alkali metal ions and some other cations in complexes with widely varying stability constants. The membrane of an ion-selective electrode contains the salt of the determined cation with a hydrophobic anion (usually tetraphenylborate) and excess ionophore, so that the cation is mostly bound in the complex in the membrane. It can readily be demonstrated that the membrane potential obeys Eq. (6.3.3). In the presence of interferents, the selectivity coefficient is given approximately by the ratio of the stability constants of the complexes of the two ions with the ionophore. For the determination of potassium ions in the presence of interfering sodium ions, where the ionophore is the cyclic depsipeptide, valinomycin, the selectivity coefficient is Na+ 10"4, so that this electrode can be used to determine potassium ions in the presence of a 104-fold excess of sodium ions. 

A number of substances have been discovered in the last thirty years with a macrocyclic structure (i.e. with ten or more ring members), polar ring interior and non-polar exterior. These substances form complexes with univalent (sometimes divalent) cations, especially with alkali metal ions, with a stability that is very dependent on the individual ionic sort. They mediate transport of ions through the lipid membranes of cells and cell organelles, whence the origin of the term ion-carrier (ionophore). They ion-specifically uncouple oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, which led to their discovery in the 1950s. This property is also connected with their antibiotic action. Furthermore, they produce a membrane potential on both thin lipid and thick membranes. 

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