Optical Basicity of Titanium(IV) Oxide and Zirconium(IV) Oxide

The relationship between electronic polarizability of oxide(—II), α_O^2?, and the electron donor power, expressed as the optical basicity, ∧, indicates that ∧(TiO₂) is much greater than ∧(SiO₂) and is approximately the same as ∧(CaO). Such a high basicity is supported by the trend in the Racah B parameter for the Ni²⁺ ion in crystalline hosts and is also indicated from α_O^2? values of glasses containing TiO₂. Electronic polarizability and other data for zirconium(IV) media indicate that ZrO₂ also has a high basicity, but that ∧(ZrO₂) is somewhat less than ∧(TiO₂).