In Situ Solid-State Reactions Monitored by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy: Temperature-Induced Proton Transfer Leads to Chemical Shifts.

The dramatic colour and phase alteration with the solid-state, temperature-dependent reaction between squaric acid and 4,4'-bipyridine has been probed in situ with X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The electronic and chemical sensitivity to the local atomic environment through chemical shifts in the near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) revealed proton transfer from the acid to the bipyridine base through the change in nitrogen protonation state in the high-temperature form. Direct detection of proton transfer coupled with structural analysis elucidates the nature of the solid-state process, with intermolecular proton transfer occurring along an acid-base chain followed by a domino effect to the subsequent acid-base chains, leading to the rapid migration along the length of the crystal. NEXAFS thereby conveys the ability to monitor the nature of solid-state chemical reactions in situ, without the need for a priori information or long-range order.