Skip to main content

From molecules to nanoparticles, site specific reactivity from poly-aluminum oxyhydroxide clusters


EMSL Project ID
37509

Abstract

Aqueous aluminum chemistry is rich in polymeric species that possess properties that mimic mineral nanoparticles. The purpose of this project is to calculate the pKa constants for a set of aluminum oxyhydroxide ions: [Al2(OH)2]4+(aq) dimer, [Al3(OH)4]5+(aq) trimer, [Al8(OH)14(H2O)12]10+(aq) brucite-like ion, [Al13O4(OH)24(OH2)12]7+(aq) Keggin ion.1 This will be a density functional theory study based upon a similar approach successfully applied to individual aqueated metal ions. This approach provided an accuracy of ~0.5 pH units, which is sufficient to test widely used bond-valence models including the MUSIC model.2-5 The foci of this study, the Al8 brucite-like ion and the Al13 Keggin ion, are molecules that possesses both an interface with the surrounding solvent and different sites for reactivity comparable to a mineral surface.

Project Details

Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2009-12-01
End Date
2010-12-05
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

James Rustad
Institution
Corning, Inc.

Team Members

Matthew Wander
Institution
Drexel University

William Casey
Institution
University of California, Davis

Related Publications

Molecular Simulation Volume 39, Issue 3, 2013 Select Language​▼ Translator disclaimer Ab initio calculation of the deprotonation constants of an atomistically defined nanometer-sized, aluminium hydroxide oligomer Preview View full text Download full text Supplemental Access options DOI:10.1080/08927022.2012.717280 Matthew C.F. Wandera-, Kevin L. Shuforda, James R. Rustadb & William H. Caseyb pages 220-227 Publishing models and article dates explained Received: 5 Apr 2012 Accepted: 24 Jul 2012 Published online: 25 Sep 2012
Wander MC, and KL Shuford. 2012. "A Theoretical Study of the Qualitative Reaction Mechanism for the Homogeneous Disproportionation of Pentavalent Uranyl Ions." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 84:177–185. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2012.01.034