Premium
Metal Transition in Sodium–Ammonia Nanodroplets
Author(s) -
Hartweg Sebastian,
West Adam H. C.,
Yoder Bruce L.,
Signorell Ruth
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201604282
Subject(s) - nonmetal , transition metal , molecule , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , metal , ammonia , chemistry , chemical physics , nanoscopic scale , solvent , phase transition , inorganic chemistry , materials science , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , physics , catalysis , engineering
The famous nonmetal‐to‐metal transition in Na–ammonia solutions is investigated in nanoscale solution droplets by photoelectron spectroscopy. In agreement with the bulk solutions, a strong indication for a transition to the metallic state is found at an average metal concentration of 8.8±2.2 mole%. The smallest entity for the phase transition to be observed consists of approximately 100–200 solvent molecules. The quantification of this critical entity size is a stepping stone toward a deeper understanding of these quantum–classical solutions through direct modeling at the molecular level.