Knowledge Bank

The products of the reaction of a metal (Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) with water were investigated in solid argon at 10--15K. A water metal adduct was initially formed with the metals (Mg, Mn, Fe, Co); the metal preferentially bonding through the oxygen of water. This was evidenced by a decrease in the water bending mode at $1590cm-1$ to a lower frequency. Calculated interaction energies have suggested that the shift in the water bending frequency is related to the degree of bonding between the metal atom and water molecule. A shift in the water bending frequency was not observed for Ni and Cu, and only a comparatively small shift in the case of Zn, suggesting there is little or no interaction between these metals and water.Photolysis of the matrix, with a medium pressure mercury lamp, produced in all cases, a metal insertion reaction into the hydrogen-oxygen bond of water forming primarily the molecular species HMOMH AND HMOH.