Proton-switch conduction

Despite this enormous viscosity, fused H3PO4 (and D3PO4) conduct electricity extremely well and this has been shown to arise from extensive self-ionization (autoprotolysis) coupled with a proton-switch conduction mechanism for the... 

Figure 12.17 Schematic representation of proton-switch conduction mechanism involving [U2PO4I phosphoric acid.

Electrical properties of liquids and solids are sometimes crucially influenced by H bonding. The ionic mobility and conductance of H30 and OH in aqueous solutions are substantially greater than those of other univalent ions due to a proton-switch mechanism in the H-bonded associated solvent, water. For example, at 25°C the conductance of H3O+ and OH are 350 and 192ohm cm mol , whereas for other (viscosity-controlled) ions the values fall... 

H2SO4.Z2H2O, are known with = 1, 2, 3, 4 (mps 8.5", -39.5". -36.4" and -28.3% respectively). Other compounds in the H2O/SO3 system are H2S2O7 (mp 36") and H2S4O13 (mp 4"). Anhydrous H2SO4 is a remarkable compound with an unusually high dielectric constant, and a very high electrical conductivity which results from the ionic self-dissociation (autoprotolysis) of the compound coupled with a proton-switch mechanism for the rapid... 

During the course of the work, we also conducted further studies of the reactions of proton hydrates with CH3COCH3 and CH3COOCH3. The reaction mechanisms were found to change from proton transfer to ligand switching and ultimately to an association process, which would be equivalent to adsorption in the case of bulk systems. 

Thermally or photochemically induced proton transfers represent bistable switching processes and are of interest for information storage. A lateral transfer of information on the surface of biological membranes is thought to occur by fast proton conduction through protonic networks [8.234]. 

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