SPIN-ORBIT-COUPLING IN METAL-ANION SYSTEMS - COLORS OF POST-TRANSITION METAL-SALTS

A configuration-mixing model is developed for spin-orbit coupling in metal salts. The component excitedconfigurations are of locally excited (LE) or charge transfer (CT) varieties. It is shown that the triplet singlet (T1-So) transition of the nominal anion steals its intensity from local excitations in the case of light nontransition metal salts (e.g., NaNO2 and from charge-transfer excitations in the case of heavy post-transition metal salts (e.g., AgNO2). The model provides a simple rationalization of the colors and luminescences of post-transition metals in which neither the anion nor cation is separately chromophoric. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.