Skip to main content
Log in

Paradigms and paradoxes: revisiting the relation of oxidation state and acidity of polyhydride cations

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Structural Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nearly four decades ago, we published a simple chemical regularity: the proton affinity of MHa is higher than that of MHb when “a” is greater than “b.” Some new thoughts about this pattern of chemical energetics are presented in the current study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Greenberg A, Winkler R, Smith BL, Liebman JF (1982) The negatively charged nitrogen in ammonium ion and derived concepts of acidity, basicity, proton affinity, and ion energetics. J Chem Educ 59:367–370

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Crabtree KN, Talipov MR, Martinez Jr O, O'Connor GD, Khursan SL, McCarthy MC (2013) Detection and structure of HOON. Microwave spectroscopy reveals an O-O bond exceeding 1.9 Å. Science 342(6164):1354–1357 Acknowledging JFL’s “parental” pride, like Barbara L Smith, Oscar Martinez had also been his undergraduate student. In Martinez’ case, besides classroom experience, he additionally did research with JFL on altogether different species than HOON and related small molecules

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. DeKock RL, Barbachyn MR (1979) Proton affinity, ionization energy, and the nature of frontier orbital electron density. J Am Chem Soc 101:6516–6519

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Allen LC (1989) Electronegativity is the average one-electron energy of the valence-shell electrons in ground-state free atoms. J Am Chem Soc 111:9003–9014

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Rahm M, Zeng T, Hoffmann R (2019) Electronegativity seen as the ground-state average valence electron binding energy. J Am Chem Soc 141:342–351

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Aue DH, Webb HM, Bowers MT (1975) Proton affinities, ionization potentials, and hydrogen affinities of nitrogen and oxygen bases. Hybridization effects. J Am Chem Soc 97:4137–4139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Bent HA (1960) Distribution of atomic s character in molecules and its chemical implication. J Chem Educ 37:616–624

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Bent HA (1961) An appraisal of valence-bond structures and hybridization in compounds of the first-row elements. Chem Rev 61:275–311

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Pomerantz M, Liebman JF (1975) Is 100% s-character necessary? Tetrahedron Lett:2385–2388

  10. Garcia GA, Gans B, Tang X, Ward M, Batut S, Nahon L, Fittschen C, Loison J-C (2015) Threshold photoelectron spectroscopy of the imidogen radical. J Electron Spectrosc Relat Phenom 203:25–30

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Moore CE (1970) “Ionization potentials and ionization limits derived from the analyses of optical spectra” Nat Stand Ref Data Ser - Nat Bur Stand (U.S.), NSRDS-NBS 34

  12. Liebman JF (1972) Why is the oxygen in water negative? J Chem Educ 49:415–417

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Arthur Greenberg or Joel F. Liebman.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Greenberg, A., Liebman, J.F. Paradigms and paradoxes: revisiting the relation of oxidation state and acidity of polyhydride cations. Struct Chem 30, 1629–1630 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11224-019-01402-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11224-019-01402-0

Keywords

Navigation