Knowledge Bank

During codeposition onto a spectroscopic window at 6-7 K, scandium and titanium atoms formed by the laser ablation process react with nitric oxide in excess argon to form several new mixed oxide-nitride species. Argon matrix isolation infrared spectra reveal the presence of the metal insertion products for both metals as well as $\eta 1$ and $\eta 2$ bound nitrosyl complexes in the scandium system, the latter of which shows a significant NO bond activation by cold Sc metal addition to the NO diatomic molecule. The spectroscopic assignments will be supported by the effects of isotopic substitution in the NO precursor $(14N16O,15N16O,15N18O)$ and by analogy of these effects with those predicted by density functional calculations on suspected product species.