The stability of negative ions in liquid metals

Abstract

The model potential of Hunt and Moiseiwitsch (1970) for the calculation of electron affinity is modified to simulate the potential of a negative ion in a liquid metal. It is found that, as a result of screening by conduction electrons, halide ions bind an additional electron more tightly in a liquid alkali metal than in free space. The method is extended to O-- ions. The theory predicts that O-- ions are electronically stable in liquid sodium, but results for liquid caesium are less conclusive.