Neodymium(III) acetate is an
inorganicsalt composed of a
neodymium atom tri
cation and three
acetate groups as
anions where neodymium exhibits the +3
oxidation state.[2] It has a
chemical formula of Nd(CH3COO)3 although it can be informally referred to as NdAc because Ac is an informal symbol for acetate.[8] It commonly occurs as a light purple powder.[1][2]
Physical properties
Neodymium(III) acetate as a
hydrate is a purple solid that is
soluble in
water.[9][6] The solubility of the compound increases when sodium acetate is added, forming a blue complex.[10]
It forms
crystallinehydrates[9] in the composition of Nd(CH3COO)3·nH2O, where n = 1 and 4 are red-violet crystals that lose water at 110 °C. The crystalline hydrate with the composition of Nd(CH3COO)3·4H2O forms crystals of
triclinic crystal system, with the
space group of P 1 and the cell parameters of a = 0.9425 nm, b = 0.9932 nm, c = 1.065 nm, α = 88.09°, β = 115 .06°, γ = 123.69°.[citation needed] Most of the Nd3+cations are coordinated by nine (or eight) oxygen atoms of the acetate
ligands, which connect these polyhedra into slightly puckered sheets that are stacked in the [010] direction.[1] The crystalline
neodymium source is moderately
soluble in water,
methyl salicylate,[11]benzyl chloride,[11]benzyl alcohol[11] and
carbon disulfide.[11] In the temperature range of 320–430 °C, the anhydrate
decomposes to form Nd2O2(CO3), which decomposes via a further intermediate stage at 880 °C to
neodymium oxide.[9][12]
Appearance
Neodymium(III) acetate is a mauve-colored
hygroscopic powdery solid.[1] The resulting hydrate, like many other neodymium
salts, has the interesting property that it appears different colors under fluorescent light.[13]
It can also be formed by reacting any neodymium salt with acetic acid.[16][page needed] Anhydrous neodymium(III) acetate can be obtained by direct oxidation of neodymium with
malonic acid in a glass
ampoule at 180°C.[1] It is also possible to prepare the hydrate by dissolving neodymium(III) oxide in glacial acetic acid, alkalinizing it to a
pH value of 4 with
sodium hydroxide, and then slowly evaporating the solution.[4] With different pH values, different hydrates can be obtained.[17]
Uranyl acetate has been the standard contrasting agent in transmission
electron microscopy (TEM) for decades.[20][21] However, its use is increasingly hampered by
regulations by governments due to its
radioactive properties as well as its high
toxicity. Therefore, alternatives are being searched for, including
lanthanides or
platinum blue[22][23][24][25] as well as the use of less defined substances such as
oolong tea extract.[26][27] Despite these published alternatives, uranyl acetate is still the standard for EM contrasting.[8]
In the
periodic table the vertical ordering of elements in groups is based on the presence of the same number of
electrons in their
outermost shell, which determines their
chemical and
physical properties. Because
neodymium (Nd) is right above
uranium (U) the chemical properties of uranyl acetate and neodymium(III) acetate would be very similar in binding to tissue in ultrathin sections thus leading to a similar amount of contrast.[8]
Glass
Neodymium(III) acetate can also be used for
glass,
crystal and
capacitors. It is useful in protective lenses for
welding goggles. It is also used in
cathode ray tube screens to increase the contrast between red and green tones.[citation needed] It is highly valued in glass making because of its attractive purple tint to glass.[7]
^Holliday, A. K.; Massey, A. G. (2013). Non-Aqueous Solvents in Inorganic Chemistry (in German). Elsevier Science. p. 75.
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abcdSalutsky V.L. The rare earth elements and their compounds: the purification and properties of praseodymium oxide. - A thesis of dissertation. - 1950 pp. 5
^Saleh, Noura Mossaed; Mahmoud, Ghada Adel; Dahy, AbdelRahman AbdelMonem; Soliman, Soliman Abdel-Fadeel; Mahfouz, Refaat Mohamed (2019). "Kinetics of nonisothermal dehydration of unirradiated and γ-ray irradiated neodymium(III) acetate hydrate". Radiochimica Acta (in German). 107 (2): 165–178.
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^O'Donoghue, Michael; Webster, Robert (2006).
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^Zofia Rzaczynska. Studies on the heterogenic reaction of acetic acid vapors with mixtures of yttrium and neodymium oxides. Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Slaskiej, Chemia, 1985. 113: 91-97.
ISSN0372-9494.
^Mehrotra, R. C.; Misra, T. N.; Misra, S. N. Organic compounds of lanthanide elements: preparation of carboxylic acid salts of praseodymium and neodymium. Journal of the Indian Chemical Society, 1966. 1: 61-62.
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^Yugeng, Zhang; Guiwen, Zhao (1995). "Synthesis and Spectral Studies of Three Neodymium Acetate Complexes". Synthesis and Reactivity in Inorganic and Metal-Organic Chemistry (in German). 25 (3): 371–381.
doi:
10.1080/15533179508218227.
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^Watson ML (1958) Staining of tissue sections for electron microscopy with heavy metals. II. Application of solutions containing
lead and
barium. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 4:727–730
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^Hosogi N, Nishioka H, Nakakoshi M (2015) Evaluation of lanthanide salts as alternative stains to uranyl acetate. Microscopy (Oxf) 64:429–435
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10.1093/jmicro/dfv054PMID26374081
^Ikeda K, Inoue K, Kanematsu S, Horiuchi Y, Park P (2011) Enhanced effects of nonisotopic hafnium chloride in methanol as a substitute for uranyl acetate in TEM contrast of ultrastructure of fungal and plant cells. Microsc Res Tech 74:825–830
doi:
10.1002/jemt.20964PMID23939670
^Inaga S, Katsumoto T, Tanaka K, Kameie T, Nakane H, Naguro T (2007) Platinum blue as an alternative to uranyl acetate for staining in transmission electron microscopy. Arch Histol Cytol 70:43–49
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10.1679/aohc.70.43PMID17558143
^Yamaguchi K, Suzuki K, Tanaka K (2010) Examination of electron stains as a substitute for uranyl acetate for the ultrathin sections of bacterial cells. J Electron Microsc (Tokyo) 59:113–118
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^Sato S, Adachi A, Sasaki Y, Ghazizadeh M (2008) Oolong tea extract as a substitute for uranyl acetate in staining of ultrathin sections. J Microsc 229:17–20
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^He X, Liu B (2017) Oolong tea extract as a substitute for uranyl acetate in staining of ultrathin sections based on examples of animal tissues for transmission electron microscopy. J Microsc 267:27–33
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