Microscopic Structure of Contact Ion Pairs in Concentrated LiCl- and LiClO4-Tetrahydrofuran Solutions Studied by Low-Frequency Isotropic Raman Scattering and Neutron Diffraction with (6)Li/(7)Li Isotopic Substitution Methods.

Abstract

Low-frequency isotropic Raman scattering and time-of-flight neutron diffraction measurements were carried out for (6)Li/(7)Li and H/D isotopically substituted *LiCl- and *LiClO4-tetrahydrofuran (*THF) solutions in order to obtain microscopic insight into solvated Li(+), Li(+)···Cl(-) and Li(+)···ClO4(-) contact ion pairs formed in concentrated THF solutions. Symmetrical stretching vibrational mode of solvated Li(+) in LiCl and LiClO4 solutions was observed at ν = 181-184 and 140 cm(-1), respectively. The stretching vibrational mode of Li(+)···Cl(-) and Li(+)···ClO4(-) solvated contact ion pairs formed in 4 mol % (6)LiCl-THF-h8 and (7)LiCl-THF-h8 solutions was found at ν = 469 and 435 cm(-1), respectively. Detailed structural properties of solvated Li(+) and the contact ion pairs were derived from the least-squares fitting analyses of the first-order difference function, ΔLi(Q), obtained from neutron diffraction measurements on (6)Li/(7)Li isotopically substituted THF-d8 solutions. It has been revealed that Li(+) takes 4-fold coordination in the average local structure of Li(+)X(-)(THF)3, X = Cl and ClO4. The nearest neighbor Li(+)···O(THF) distance was determined to be 2.21 ± 0.01 Å and 2.07 ± 0.01 Å for 4 mol % *LiCl- and 10 mol % *LiClO4-THF-d8 solutions, respectively. The Li(+)···anion distances for Li(+)···Cl(-) and Li(+)···O(ClO4(-)) contact ion pairs were determined to be 2.4 ± 0.1 Å and 2.19 ± 0.01 Å, respectively. The nearest neighbor Li(+)···THF interaction is significantly modified by the anion in the first solvation shell.