The local symmetry of Ce3+, Nd3+, Er3+, and Yb3+in frozen aqueous solutions as studied by EPR and the linear electric field effect

摘要

We have found that the rare earth ions Ce3+, Nd3+, Er3+, and Yb3+in frozen aqueous solutions, containing an additional component such as glycerol or ethanol, are coordinated noncentrosymmetrically and in a highly inhomogenous manner. For Nd3+in a water:ethanol mixture the results can be explained on the assumption that the complexes are characterized by a point symmetry which is basicallyD3has in lanthanum ethyl sulfate but the crystal field also contains a large random element. A simple electrostatic model based on the measured values of the electric field inducedgshifts suggests that a random spread of lsim; 10deg; in the orientations of the coordinating dipoles would suffice to account for the observed inhomogeneity.