The Effect of Alkali Metal Cations on The Structure of Dissolved Silicate Oligomers
AbstractBy means of 29Si spectroscopy, it is established that the distribution of silicate anions in alkaline silicate solutions is a moderate function of base composition. At a fixed SiO2. concentration and silicate ratio, the proportion of Si present in oligomeric and cage-like structures increases in progressing from Li to Cs hydroxide. Interactions between alkali metal cations and silicate anions are investigated using NMR spectroscopy of the cations; in this way the concentration of ion pairs is measured as a function of cation size. As a result the silicate redistribution is ascribed to cation-silicate anion pairing and to a higher selectivity for ion pairing by large silicate anions as cation size increases.