Recent progress in actinide research

Abstract

Abstract The actinide elements are now sufficiently well understood to enable clearer analogies to be established between their properties and those of rare-earth and transitional elements. Research in the past decade has revealed systematic variations in bonding properties such as melting point, transport properties such as resistivity and electronic properties such as specific heat. The earlier members of the series now are seen to have not only a transitional element type of behaviour but one in which the 5f-electrons apparently make a substantial contribution to bonding. There are also important differences between the behaviour of the heavier actinides and those expected from rare earth elements. The heavier actinides are now of considerable practical importance for such purposes as space research, industrial radiography, prospecting and medical applications. The potential economic gains are likely to ensure a continuing research activity which will advance our basic understanding of these elements.