Gaseous HgH₂, CdH₂, and ZnH₂

Abstract

Gaseous HgH2, CdH2, and ZnH2 molecules were synthesized by the direct gas-phase reaction of excited mercury, cadmium, and zinc atoms with molecular hydrogen. The molecules were identified by their high-resolution infrared emission spectra, and the metal-hydrogen bond lengths were determined from the rotational analysis of the antisymmetric stretching fundamental bands.

Calculated spectroscopic properties of HgH2

“…Although the existence of solid mercury dihydride (HgH 2 ) has been known for more than half a century [1,2], it was only recently that molecular HgH 2 could be investigated by means of highresolution spectroscopy [3,4]. Gaseous HgH 2 and its deuterated isotopomers were synthesized through the reaction of mercury vapour with molecular hydrogen or deuterium in the presence of a dc electrical discharge.…”

Mechanisms of chemical generation of volatile hydrides for trace element determination (IUPAC Technical Report)

“…The same authors [102] concluded that the relative stability of gaseous HgH 2 , CdH 2 , and ZnH 2 molecules supports the hypothesis that these species are formed during the reduction of aqueous Hg, Cd, and Zn ions in the "hydride generation" technique. However, simple binary metal hydrides are solid.…”

“…For Hg 2+ , the well-known reaction giving Hg 0 can be written as [102][103][104]. The same authors [102] concluded that the relative stability of gaseous HgH 2 , CdH 2 , and ZnH 2 molecules supports the hypothesis that these species are formed during the reduction of aqueous Hg, Cd, and Zn ions in the "hydride generation" technique.…”

Multi-isotopologue analyses of new vibration–rotation and pure rotation spectra of ZnH and CdH

“…Gaseous ZnH 2 , CdH 2 , and HgH 2 molecules have been discovered recently in our laboratory at the University of Waterloo, and their infrared emission spectra were recorded at high resolution using a Fourier transform spectrometer [1][2][3][4][5]. These spectra also contained a few vibration-rotation bands of ZnH, ZnD, CdH, and CdD in the X 2 R + ground state, which are described in this paper.…”