Raman Scattering and X-ray Diffraction Studies on Zinc(II)Bromide Solutions in Methanol and N,N-Dimethylformamide in the Temperature Range 77-333 K

Abstract

Abstract The structure of zinc(II) bromo complexes in methanol and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) (molar ratio [solvent]/[ZnBr2] = 10, temperature range 77 -333 K) has been investigated by Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction. In the methanol solution symmetric Zn - Br vibrations (γ1) of the dibromo- and tribromozinc(II) complexes were observed at 209 and 184 cm-1, respectively. With decreasing temperature the intensity of the γ1 band decreased for the dibromo and increased for the tribromo complex. In addition, the γ1 band for the tetrabromo complex appeared in the supercooled and glassy methanol solutions. In the DMF solution only one band, assigned to both the dibromo-and tribromozinc(II) complexes, was observed. Its intensity did not change with temper­ature. The X-ray diffraction data revealed that the average number of Zn -Br interactions within the zinc (II) bromo complexes does not change with temperature while the number of nonbonding Br ··· Br interactions within the complexes increases from 1.5 at 298 K to 1.9 at 243 K for the methanol solution and from 1.3 at 298 K to 1.8 at 243 K for the DMF solution. These Raman and X-ray results have confirmed that in both methanol and DMF solutions at high temperatures the dibromo species is predominantly formed, whereas at low temperatures the tribromo complex is favored, the tetrabromo species being formed only in the supercooled and glassy methanol solutions. The temperature dependent equilibrium shifts of the zinc(II) bromo complexes in the methanol and DMF solutions are discussed together with previously reported results for the aqueous phase.