Matrix Isolation Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study of Water Adsorption and Hydrolysis on Molecular Tantalum and Niobium Oxides

The reactions of molecular tantalum and niobium monoxides and dioxides with water were investigated by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. In solid neon, the metal monoxide and dioxide molecules reacted with water to form the MO(H2O) and MO2(H2O) (M = Ta, Nb) complexes spontaneously on annealing. The MO(H2O) complexes photochemically rearranged to the more stable HMO(OH) isomers via one hydrogen atom transfer from water to the metal center under visible light excitation. In contrast, the MO2(H2O) complexes isomerized to the more stable MO(OH)(2) molecules via a hydrogen atom transfer from water to one of the oxygen atoms of metal dioxide upon visible light irradiation. The aforementioned species were identified by isotopic-substituted experiments as well as density functional calculations.