Tantalum complexes properties

Closely related mixed amido/imido/guanidinato tantalum complexes of the type Ta(NR R )[(R R2N)C(NR )2]( = NR ) (R R = Me, Et R = Cy, Pr R = Pr", BuO were synthesized by the insertion of carbodiimides into to tantalum-amide bonds in imidotantalum triamide precursors, and the effects of ligand substitution on thermal properties were studied by TGA/DTA measurements. In addition, selected compounds were pyrolyzed at 600 °C and the decomposition products were studied by GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy. ... 

Tantalum and niobium are added, in the form of carbides, to cemented carbide compositions used in the production of cutting tools. Pure oxides are widely used in the optical industiy as additives and deposits, and in organic synthesis processes as catalysts and promoters [12, 13]. Binary and more complex oxide compounds based on tantalum and niobium form a huge family of ferroelectric materials that have high Curie temperatures, high dielectric permittivity, and piezoelectric, pyroelectric and non-linear optical properties [14-17]. Compounds of this class are used in the production of energy transformers, quantum electronics, piezoelectrics, acoustics, and so on. Two of... 

Since niobates and tantalates belong to the octahedral ferroelectric family, fluorine-oxygen substitution has a particular importance in managing ferroelectric properties. Thus, the variation in the Curie temperature of such compounds with the fluorine-oxygen substitution rate depends strongly on the crystalline network, the ferroelectric type and the mutual orientation of the spontaneous polarization vector, metal displacement direction and covalent bond orientation [47]. Hence, complex tantalum and niobium fluoride compounds seem to have potential also as new materials for modem electronic and optical applications. 

The most common property of molten systems containing tantalum or niobium is the ionic equilibrium between hexa- and heptacoordinated complexes, with the general compositions MeFg and MeF6X(n+I) ... 

Tantalum powder is produced by reduction of potassium heptafluoro-tantalate, K2TaF7, dissolved in a molten mixture of alkali halides. The reduction is performed at high temperatures using molten sodium. The process and product performance are very sensitive to the melt composition. There is no doubt that effective process control and development of powders with improved properties require an understanding of the complex fluoride chemistry of the melts. For instance, it is very important to take into account that changes both in the concentration of potassium heptafluorotantalate and in the composition of the background melt (molten alkali halides) can initiate cardinal changes in the complex structure of the melt itself. 

It is, therefore, required that all initial compounds be dried properly prior to performing the reduction. This procedure is not at all trivial and refers, first of all, to the diluent salts, and especially to potassium fluoride, KF, which is characterized by a strong hygroscopic property and a tendency to form stable crystal hydrates. The problem of contamination due to hydrolytic processes can usually be resolved in two manners. The first is to apply another tantalum-containing complex fluoride compound that does not undergo hydrolysis. The second involves the adjustment of the reduction process parameters and use of some additives that will "collect" the oxygen present, in the form of water, hydroxyl groups or other compounds. 

Tantalum pentoxide possesses only very weakly acidic properties. Its salts even with the strong alkalis are readily hydrolysed by boiling in aqueous solution. Its complex heteropoly-acids with other adds are ill-defined, but it takes up active oxygen to form a stable pertantalic acid, HTa04. H20. 

The predominant oxidation stale of the element is (V). There is some evidence that the (IV) state is obtained under certain reduction conditions. When the pentapositive form is not in the form of a complex ion it may exist in solution as PaC>2+. The compounds are very readily hydrolyzed in aqueous solution yielding aggregates of colloidal dimensions, thus showing marked similarity to niobium and tantalum in this respect. These properties play a dominant role in the chemical properties of aqueous solution, because the element is so easily removed from solution by hydrolysis and adsorption Protactinium coprecipilates with a wide variety of substances, and it seems likely that the explanation for this lies in the hydrolytic and adsorptive behavior. 

The chemistry of hydrido complexes of group V metals seems to reflect the usual tendency for vanadium to behave differently from the other two elements, although generalizations are probably premature in such a new field. Certainly niobium and tantalum form numerous hydrides of similar composition and properties, appearing to have no vanadium counterparts to date, but there have been no systematic investigations involving all three elements under comparable conditions, as is clear from the following discussions. 

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