Magnus' green salt
Encyclopedia
Magnus' green salt is the chemical compound
with the formula
[Pt(NH3)4][PtCl4]. This species has been of interest in materials chemistry
and solid-state physics
because of its one-dimensional structure. It contains a linear chain of alternating [PtCl4]2− anions and [Pt(NH3)4]2+ cations, in which the platinum atoms are separated by 3.25 Å. It is a semi-conductor. The compound may be prepared by mixing aqueous solutions of [Pt(NH3)4]2+ and [PtCl4]2−, to obtain a deep green precipitate. This salt was discovered by Heinrich Gustav Magnus in the early 1830s. The corresponding palladium compound ([Pd(NH3)4PdCl4] is known as "Vauquelin’s salt".
Soluble analogues of the salt can be prepared by replacing the ammonia with ethylhexylamine.
's discoveries. Magnus' green salt has the same empirical formula
as cis-PtCl2(NH3)2
("Peyrone chloride") and trans-PtCl2(NH3)2. These cis and trans compounds are molecules, whereas Magnus' green salt is a polymer.
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
with the formula
Chemical formula
A chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
[Pt(NH3)4][PtCl4]. This species has been of interest in materials chemistry
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
and solid-state physics
Solid-state physics
Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the large-scale properties of solid materials result from...
because of its one-dimensional structure. It contains a linear chain of alternating [PtCl4]2− anions and [Pt(NH3)4]2+ cations, in which the platinum atoms are separated by 3.25 Å. It is a semi-conductor. The compound may be prepared by mixing aqueous solutions of [Pt(NH3)4]2+ and [PtCl4]2−, to obtain a deep green precipitate. This salt was discovered by Heinrich Gustav Magnus in the early 1830s. The corresponding palladium compound ([Pd(NH3)4PdCl4] is known as "Vauquelin’s salt".
Soluble analogues of the salt can be prepared by replacing the ammonia with ethylhexylamine.
History
Magnus' green salt was one of the first examples of a metal ammine complex. Ammonia species are very common now; they were, after all, the basis of Alfred WernerAlfred Werner
Alfred Werner was a Swiss chemist who was a student at ETH Zurich and a professor at the University of Zurich. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1913 for proposing the octahedral configuration of transition metal complexes. Werner developed the basis for modern coordination chemistry...
's discoveries. Magnus' green salt has the same empirical formula
Empirical formula
In chemistry, the empirical formula of a chemical compound is the simplest positive integer ratio of atoms of each element present in a compound. An empirical formula makes no reference to isomerism, structure, or absolute number of atoms. The empirical formula is used as standard for most ionic...
as cis-PtCl2(NH3)2
Cisplatin
Cisplatin, cisplatinum, or cis-diamminedichloroplatinum is a chemotherapy drug. It is used to treat various types of cancers, including sarcomas, some carcinomas , lymphomas, and germ cell tumors...
("Peyrone chloride") and trans-PtCl2(NH3)2. These cis and trans compounds are molecules, whereas Magnus' green salt is a polymer.