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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 international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201604282
Subject(s) - nonmetal , transition metal , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , molecule , ammonia , solvent , chemical physics , metal , nanoscopic scale , phase transition , materials science , sodium , chemistry , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , thermodynamics , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , physics , engineering , catalysis
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.