Samarium Polyarsenides Derived from Nanoscale Arsenic

Elemental As⁰ nanoparticles were prepared and serve a reactive arsenic source in reductive f‐element chemistry. Among the intriguing compounds prepared was [(Cp*₂Sm)₄As₈], the largest molecular polyarsenide of the f‐elements.

Abstract

Zintl phases of arsenic and molecular compounds containing Zintl‐type polyarsenide ions are of fundamental interest in basic and applied sciences. Unfortunately, the most obvious and reactive arsenic source for the preparation of defined molecular polyarsenide compounds, yellow arsenic As₄, is very inconvenient to prepare and neither storable in pure form nor easy to handle. Herein, we present the synthesis and reactivity of elemental As⁰ nanoparticles (As⁰_Nano, d=7.2±1.8 nm), which were successfully utilized as a reactive arsenic source in reductive f‐element chemistry. Starting from [Cp*₂Sm] (Cp*=η⁵‐C₅Me₅), the samarium polyarsenide complexes [(Cp*₂Sm)₂(μ‐η ²:η ²‐As₂)] and [(Cp*₂Sm)₄As₈] were obtained from As⁰_nano, thereby generating, producing the largest molecular polyarsenide of the f‐elements and circumventing the use of As₄ in preparative chemistry.

from A via a.sfakia on Inoreader http://bit.ly/2AxmLoi