Properties of Lanthanide Hydroxide Molecules Produced in Reactions of Lanthanide Atoms with H2O2 and H2 + O2 Mixtures: Roles of the +I, +II, +III, and +IV Oxidation States

The reactions of laser-ablated lanthanide metal atoms with hydrogen peroxide or hydrogen plus oxygen mixtures have been studied experimentally in a solid argon matrix and theoretically with the ab initio MP2 and CCSD(T) methods. The Ln(OH)3 and Ln(OH)2 molecules and Ln(OH)2+ cations are the major products, and the reactions to form those hydroxides are predicted to be highly exothermic at the CCSD(T) level. Vibronic interactions are hypothesized to contribute to the abnormalities in deuterium shifts for Ln–OH(D) stretching modes for several hydroxides, consistent with CASSCF calculations. Additional new absorptions were assigned as HLnO or LnOH and OLnOH molecules. The tetrahydroxides of Ce, Pr, and Tb have also been observed. These reactive intermediates were identified from their matrix infrared spectra by using D2O2, HD, D2, 16,18O2, and 18O2 isotopic substitution, by matching observed frequencies with values calculated by electronic structure methods, and by following the trends observed in frequencie...