| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/T09651/01 |
| Title: |
Should mercury be re-classified as a transition metal? An experimental approach to the synthesis & characterization of Hg(IV) |
| Principal Investigator: |
Young, Dr NA |
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| Department: |
Chemistry |
| Organisation: |
University of Hull |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 September 2004 |
Ends: |
31 August 2005 |
Value (£): |
68,048
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Chemical Structure |
Chemical Synthetic Methodology |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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The aim of this research is to synthesize and characterize mercury(IV) compounds for the first time. At present, mercury is commonly found in the +1 and +2 oxidation states, and there is only one reference to Hg(Ill) as a fleetingly transient electrochemically generated species. Whilst mercury(IV) is predicted to be thermodynamically stable from advanced computational methods, there is no experimental evidence for it to date. One of the reasons for the lack of mercury(IV) compounds is believed to be due to the fact that the most suitable pre-cursor (HgF2) is insoluble in the appropriate solvents, so any reactions are likely to be very slow. To overcome this we shall use a technique known as matrix isolation which will enable us to study the vapour phase and pseudo-vapour phase reactions with the reagents and products trapped in solid argon at about 10 K. Mercury(IV) is an important oxidation state because if it is experimentally accessible (rather than computationally predicted) it will mean that the mercury 5d orbitals will be partially filled and hence mercury will have to be reclassified as a transition element. This will have a significant impact on the chemistry community, the way it looks at the periodic table, and could be considered as a paradigm shift.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.hull.ac.uk |