title: NH(2-) dianion entrapped in a nanoporous 12CaO·7Al2O3 crystal by ammonothermal treatment: reaction pathways, dynamics, and chemical stability.
abstract: Inorganic imides are useful for hydrogen storage and base-catalyzed reactions but are extremely unstable under ambient conditions, which hinders their practical use as functional materials. Here, we demonstrate that NH2(-) and H(-), as well as NH(2-), can be incorporated into the nanocages of the mayenite crystals, [Ca24Al28O64](4+)(e(-))4 and [Ca24Al28O64](4+)(O(2-))2, by ammonothermal treatment. We evaluated the reaction conditions and found that the anion exchange reaction proceeded at higher than 500 °C. Raman spectroscopy showed that the N-H band position of encaged NH(2-) was close to that of CaNH and MgNH crystals. We also studied the reaction pathways that yield NH2(-) and NH(2-) anions and their dynamic motions by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Successive reactions of encaged e(-) and O(2-) ions with NH3 yielded NH2(-), NH(2-), and H(-) or OH(-), in which the O(2-) ion reacted more efficiently with NH3. The maximum NH(2-) concentration and content were ∼2.7 × 10(20) cm(-3) and ∼0.25 (wt %)NH, respectively. The short spin-lattice relaxation time found in (1)H NMR suggests that the incorporated NH2(-) and NH(2-) rotate or librate in the cage near room temperature. Stability tests showed that the encaged NH(2-) ions are chemically stable under ambient conditions and in organic solvents. These results are attributed to the encapsulation of active anions within subnanometer-sized cages composed of Ca-O-Al oxide frameworks. The encaged NH(2-) desorbed as NH3 at higher than 500 °C under vacuum (Ea = 172 kJ mol(-1)). It is thus expected that C12A7:NH(2-) will function as a reactive nitrogen source for nitrogen transfer reactions by in situ cage degradation.
authors: Frontier Research Center, Tokyo Institute of Technology , 4259-S2-13 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan.
authors: Fumitaka
authors: F
authors: Hayashi
authors: Yudai
authors: Y
authors: Tomota
authors: Masaaki
authors: M
authors: Kitano
authors: Yoshitake
authors: Y
authors: Toda
authors: Toshiharu
authors: T
authors: Yokoyama
authors: Hideo
authors: H
authors: Hosono