Spectroscopic and Conductometric Studies of Lanthanide Soaps

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/bcsj.68.1825

Infrared spectral studies of lanthanide soaps (octanoates of cerium, didymium, neodymiun, and samarium) reveal that fatty acids exist with a dimeric-type structure through hydrogen bonding between two molecules of fatty acids, whereas the metal-to-oxygen bonds in these soaps have an ionic characater.The X-ray diffraction results confirm that these soaps have a double-layer structure with molecular axes slightly inclined to the basal plane.The premicellar association and the formation of micelles in lanthanide soap solutions have been investigated by conductometric measurements in a nonaqueous medium.The molar conductance at infinite dilution, the degree of ionization and the ionization constant have been evaluated.The results show that these soaps behave as weak electrolytes in dilute solutions.