Bismuth oxido clusters not only have medical importance, for example in the treatment of duodenal ulcer with bismuth subsalicylate, but are also believed to be intermediates in the hydrolysis reaction of bismuth salts to bulk bismuth oxides. These oxides have interesting material properties, for example in photocatalysis. Understanding the nucleation and growth of these clusters is therefore of interest.

Clusters of various sizes prepared in the Mehring group are examined by (tandem) mass spectrometric experiments with respect to their analytical characterization, their solution chemistry, in particular their nucleation and growth, but also to ligand exchange processes, and their gas-phase chemistry. The environment-free conditions in the high vacuum of a mass spectrometer reveal the reactivity of the ligand shells as well as the cluster cores and help identify intermediates of particular stability.

Two solid state structures of {Bi₃₈O₄₅} clusters

 

Related Publications

• 186
  Mass Spectrometry and Gas-Phase Chemistry of Bismuth Oxido Clusters
  D. Sattler, M. Schlesinger, M. Mehring, C.A. Schalley
  ChemPlusChem, 2013, 78, 1005-1014

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• 182
  Synthesis and Characterization of Polynuclear Oxidobismuth Sulfonates
  L. Miersch, T. Rüffer, D. Schaarschmidt, H. Lang, R.W. Troff, C.A. Schalley, M. Mehring
  Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2013, 1427-1433

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• 160
  From {Bi₂₂O₂₆} to Chiral Ligand-Protected {Bi₃₈O₄₅}-Based Bismuth Oxido Clusters
  D. Mansfeld, L. Miersch, T. Rüffer, D. Schaarschmidt, H. Lang, T. Böhle, R.W. Troff, C.A. Schalley, J. Müller, M. Mehring
  Chem. Eur. J. 2011, 17, 14805-14810

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• 154
  Hydrolysis of a Basic Bismuth Nitrate - Formation and Stability of Novel Bismuth Oxido Clusters
  L. Miersch, M. Schlesinger, R.W. Troff, C.A. Schalley, T. Rüffer, H. Lang, D. Zahn, M. Mehring
  Chem. Eur. J. 2011, 17, 6985-6990