Solid-state Electron Transfer Mechanism Study in Mechanochemistry through Time-Resolved Multimodal Monitoring
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Mechanochemical reactions can access unusual and useful reactivity, but the electron-transfer steps that govern many of these mechanochemical transformations have remained difficult for time-resolved monitoring. Here we establish a time-resolved strategy for resolving mechanochemical electron transfer by integrating in-situ powder X-ray diffraction with ex-situ quantitative electron paramagnetic resonance, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and magnetometry. Using the formation of a sodium anion complex (sodide) as a model reaction, we show that a mechanically driven disproportionation proceeds through a stepwise pathway involving an electride intermediate. This finding provides direct mechanistic insight into how electrons move through reactive solids under mechanochemical condition. More broadly, it establishes a general experimental blueprint for identifying electronically distinct transient intermediates in mechanochemical redox chemistry.
Source: ChemRxiv
Language: English
Subfield: Inorganic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214807713