0000000000744739
AUTHOR
Olof Gutowski
Interfacial premelting of ice in nano composite materials
Physical chemistry, chemical physics 21, 3734 - 3741 (2019). doi:10.1039/C8CP05604H
Real-Time Observation of “Soft” Magic-Size Clusters during Hydrolysis of the Model Metallodrug Bismuth Disalicylate
International audience; Colloidal bismuth therapeutics have been used for hundreds of years, yet remain mysterious. Here we report an X-ray pair distribution function (PDF) study of the solvolysis of bismuth disalicylate, a model for the metallodrug bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). This reveals catalysis by traces of water, followed by multistep cluster growth. The ratio of the two major species, {Bi9O7} and {Bi38O44}, depends on exposure to air, time, and the solvent. The solution-phase cluster structures are of significantly higher symmetry in comparison to solid-state analogues, with reduced off-center Bi3+ displacements. This explains why such “magic-size” clusters can be both stab…