Unique interface and unexpected behavior help explain how heavy metals act
Friday, March 8, 2019 - 11:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Refining platinum, plutonium, or certain other metals often depends on how the metal behaves at liquid interfaces. The challenge? Scientists have limited ways to analyze the details of liquid interfaces. Now, researchers described in significant detail how water molecules surround a platinum-based ion. Their description includes an unexpectedly complex structure that forms on the liquid's surface. The team noticed no less than three different forms of water wrapping around the ion. The complex water structure is unexpected and it creates unusual behaviors compared to those observed around smaller and lighter ions under similar conditions.