Electronic structure and bonding in actinyl ions

Abstract

The actinyl ions exhibit an unusually robust covalent bond which has a profound influence on their chemistry. Their electronic structure has been unravelled by the use of a variety of optical measurements and by photoelectron spectroscopy, which together establish the composition and role of the valence orbitals. The experimental energy level scheme can be compared with the results of molecular orbital calculations of varying degrees of sophistication, the most successful being SCF calculations incorporating the effects of relativity. An important contribution to the bonding comes from the pseudo-core 6p shell, which is important in determining the linearity of the ions. A new concept, the Inverse trans Influence, is introduced in this context. There is some evidence that (d-orbital π-bonding is more important than σ-bonding. The remarkable strength of the actinyl bond can be attributed to the presence in the valence shell of both f and d metal orbitals, giving each actinide-oxygen bond a formal bond order of three.