RESIDENCE TIMES FOR PROTONS BOUND TO THREE OXYGEN SITES IN THE ALO4AL12(OH)24(H2 O)127+ POLYOXOCATION

Abstract

Although, the kinetic reactivity of a mineral surface is determined, in part, by the rates of exchange of surface-bound oxygens and protons with bulk solution, there are no elementary rate data for minerals. However, such kinetic measurements can be made on dissolved polynuclear clusters, and here we report lifetimes for protons bound to three oxygen sites on the AlO4Al12(OH)24(H2 O)127+ (Al13) molecule, which is a model for aluminum-hydroxide solids in water. Proton lifetimes were measured using 1H NMR at pH ? 5 in both aqueous and mixed solvents. The 1H NMR peak for protons on bound waters (?-H2O) lies near 8 ppm in a 2.5:1 mixture of H2O/acetone-d6 and broadens over the temperature range -20 to -5 °C. Extrapolated to 298 K, the lifetime of a proton on a ?-H2O is ?298 ? 0.0002 s, which is surprisingly close to the lifetime of an oxygen in the ?-H2O (?0.0009 s), but in the same general range as lifetimes for protons on fully protonated monomer ions of trivalent metals (e.g., Al(H2O)63+). The lifetime is reduced somewhat by acid addition, indicating that there is a contribution from the partly deprotonated Al13 molecule in addition to the fully protonated Al13 at self-buffered pH conditions. Proton lifetimes on the two distinct sets of hydroxyls bridging two Al(III) (?2-OH) differ substantially and are much shorter than the lifetime of an oxygen at these sites. The average lifetimes for hydroxyl protons were measured in a 2:1 mixture of H2O/dmso-d6 over the temperature range 3.7-95.2 °C. The lifetime of a hydrogen on one of the ?2-OH was also measured in D2O. The ?298 values are ?0.013 and ?0.2 s in the H2O/dmso-d6 solution and the ?298 value for the ?2-OH detectable in D2O is ?298 ? 0.013 s. The 1H NMR peak for the more reactive ?2-OH broadens slightly with acid addition, indicating a contribution from an exchange pathway that involves a proton or hydronium ion. These data indicate that surface protons on minerals will equilibrate with near-surface waters on the diffusional time scale. ? 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.