Actinide Cations Research Articles

Theory for the XPS of Actinides

Two aspects of the electronic structure of actinide oxides that significantly affect the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra are described; these aspects are also important for the materials properties of the oxides. The two aspects considered are: (1) The spin–orbit coupling of the open 5f shell electrons in actinide cations and how this coupling affects the electronic structure. And, (2) the covalent character of the metal oxygen interaction in actinide compounds. Because of this covalent character, there are strong departures from the nominal oxidation states that are significantly larger in core–hole states than in the ground state. The consequences of this covalent character for the XPS are examined. A proper understanding of the way in which they influence the XPS makes it possible to use the XPS to correctly characterize the electronic structure of the oxides.

Role of Cation Interactions in the Reduction Process in Plutonium–Americium Mixed Oxides

The oxygen to metal ratio (O/M) is directly related to oxygen potential, which strongly influences the sintering and irradiation performance of nuclear fuels. A better understanding of these two parameters is therefore of major interest. To further ascertain the correlation between O/M ratio and oxygen potential in Am-bearing MOX, several thermodynamic descriptions are being developed. Despite their differences, they all involve the valence of actinide cations (e.g., U, Pu, and Am) as essential parameters. However, as no experimental data on their valence are available, these models rely on assumptions. In the present work, we coupled X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy to follow the behavior of Pu and Am in three hypo-stoichiometric, U-free Pu(1-y)Am(y)O(2-x) compounds. We provide for the first time a quantitative determination of Pu and Am valences, demonstrating that plutonium reduction from Pu(4+) to Pu(3+) starts only when americium reduction from Am(4+) to Am(3+) is completed. This result fills in an important gap in experimental data, thereby improving the thermodynamic description of nuclear fuels. At last, we suggest that the O/M ratio may evolve at room temperature, especially for high Am content, which is of main concern for the fabrication of Am-loaded MOX and their storage prior to irradiation.

Towards energy decomposition analysis for open and closed shell f-elements mono aqua complexes

We propose an energy decomposition analysis of mono aqua systems of both open and closed shell lanthanide and actinide cations using the CSOV scheme. We compared the values obtained with either large f-in-core or small core quasi relativistic pseudopotentials and computed the unpaired electrons contribution to the polarization energy component. Through a quasi-systematic approach on a number of chosen f-element cations, we quantified the different trends across both series for each contribution. This work is an important preliminary step for the acquisition of reference ab initio data for further parameterization of polarizable force fields for lanthanides and actinides.

Oil-Soluble and Water-Soluble BTPhens and Their Europium Complexes in Octanol/Water Solutions: Interface Crossing Studied by MD and PMF Simulations

Bistriazinyl-phenantroline "BTPhen" ligands L display the remarkable feature to complex trivalent lanthanide and actinide ions, with a marked selectivity for the latter. We report on molecular dynamics studies of tetrasubstituted X(4)BTPhens: L(4+) (X = (+)Et(3)NCH(2)-), L(4-) (X = (-)SO(3)Ph-), and L(0) (X = CyMe(4)) and their complexes with Eu(III) in binary octanol/water solutions. Changes in free energies upon interface crossing are also calculated for typical solutes by potential of mean force PMF simulations. The ligands and their complexes partition, as expected, to either the aqueous or the oil phase, depending on the "solubilizing" group X. Furthermore, most of them are found to be surface active. The water-soluble L(4+) and L(4-) ligands and their (L)Eu(NO(3))(3) complexes adsorb at the aqueous side of the interface, more with L(4-) than with L(4+). The oil soluble ligand L(0) is not surface active in its endo-endo form but adsorbs on the oil side of the interface in its most polar endo-exo form, as well as in its protonated L(0)H(+) and complexed (L(0))Eu(NO(3))(3) states. Furthermore, comparing PMFs of the Eu(III) complexes with and without nitric acid shows that acidifying the aqueous phase has different effects, depending on the ligand charge. In particular, acid promotes the Eu(III) extraction by L(0) via the (L(0))(2)Eu(NO(3))(2+) complex, as observed experimentally. Overall, the results point to the importance of interfacial adsorption for the liquid-liquid extraction of trivalent lanthanide and actinide cations by BTPhens and analogues.

Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Study of Organic-Phase Aggregation in the TALSPEAK Process

The Trivalent Actinide-Lanthanide Separation by Phosphorus reagent Extraction from Aqueous Komplexes (TALSPEAK) process is a solvent extraction based method for separating trivalent lanthanides (Ln(3+)) from trivalent actinide cations in used nuclear fuel reprocessing. In conventional TALSPEAK, the extractant solution is di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) in 1,4-diisopropylbenzene (DIPB). The aqueous medium is diethylenetriamine-N,N,N',N″,N″-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) in a concentrated lactic acid (HL) buffer. Lanthanides are extracted by HDEHP/DIPB, while the actinides remain in the aqueous phase as DTPA complexes. Lactic acid is extracted both independently of the lanthanides and as Ln/HL/HDEHP mixed complex(es). Previous results indicate that lanthanides are extracted both as the mixed complex and as a binary Ln(DEHP·HDEHP)(3) species. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been applied to study the self-organization properties of solute molecules in xylene solutions containing HDEHP, HL, selected lanthanide ions, and water. The scattering results demonstrate that the dominant HDEHP species is the hydrogen bonded dimer, (HDEHP)(2). Absent lanthanides, lactic acid is extracted as the 1:3 complex (HL·(HDEHP)(3)). Scattering in samples containing up to 0.005 M lanthanides (prepared by extracting lanthanides from aqueous media containing 1.0 M buffered lactic acid) indicates that the dominant metal complex is Ln(DEHP·HDEHP)(3). At 0.013 M extracted lanthanide, the scattering results indicate lower Ln:DEHP stoichiometry and larger scattering particles. At higher metal concentrations, the SANS results indicate large aggregates, the largest aggregates achieving a size equivalent to 20 HDEHP monomers as the primary scattering entity. Analysis of particle shapes indicates best fits with a uniform oblate spheroid particle. These results are discussed in connection with the results of a number of complementary observations that have been made on this system.

Energetics of stepwise disordering transformation in pyrochlores, RE2Ti2O7 (RE = Y, Gd and Dy)

The capacity to incorporate actinide cations makes pyrochlore titanates first-choice phases in titanate-based waste form ceramics. Despite broad interest in the pyrochlore order–disorder transformation due to the cumulative effects of 238U, 235U and 232Th radioactive decay and their daughter products, only limited thermodynamic data, mainly based on simulations of ion-beam irradiation experiments, have been reported. In this work, for the first time, heavily disordered pyrochlores, RE2Ti2O7 (RE=Y, Gd and Dy), from mechanical milling of their constituent oxides, were thermochemically investigated. Two types of thermal events were identified using high-temperature differential scanning calorimetry and correlated to the structural disorder in the cation and anion sublattices. Moreover, the excess formation energy measured by oxide melt solution calorimetry shows that the smaller the ionic radius of the RE, the easier it is to remove damage domains.

Physical properties of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl diglycolamide and thermodynamic studies of its complexation with zirconium, lanthanides and actinides

The crystal structure, melting range, decomposition temperature, solubilities in aqueous and organic phase, and distribution ratio in biphase system of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl diglycolamide (TMDGA) have been studied in the present work. Water-soluble TMDGA with very low solubility in kerosene or 30 % trialkyl phosphine (TRPO)/kerosene meets the primary requirement to act as the stripping agent in TRPO process which has been developed for actinides partitioning from high level waste. Slope analysis, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI–MS) and spectrophotometric titration indicate that in weak and moderate acidic aqueous solution, up to three TMDGA molecules form complexes with Zr4+, trivalent lanthanides (Ln3+), trivalent actinides (An3+) or tetravalent actinides (An4+). Their complex formation constants determined by liquid–liquid extraction method follow the order predicted by the electrostatic model of 4f and 5f elements and the covalent model of 4d transition elements: Ln3+ ~ An3+ < An4+ ≪ Zr4+. Hydrolysis of actinide cations, especially An4+, in the media of low acidity, reduces the complexation stability. In addition, the effect of aqueous acidity and temperature has been investigated. No obvious influence of temperature on Np4+ complexes has been found. However, the influence on Am3+ and Pu4+, especially on their 1:1 or 1:2 complex species with TMDGA, is relatively considerable. Strong affinity of TMDGA to An3+ and An4+ implies that TMDGA has potential to strip An3+ and An4+ from TRPO.

2,6-Bis(5-(2,2-dimethylpropyl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine as a Ligand for Efficient Actinide(III)/Lanthanide(III) Separation

The N-donor complexing ligand 2,6-bis(5-(2,2-dimethylpropyl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine (C5-BPP) was synthesized and screened as an extracting agent selective for trivalent actinide cations over lanthanides. C5-BPP extracts Am(III) from up to 1 mol/L HNO(3) with a separation factor over Eu(III) of approximately 100. Due to its good performance as an extracting agent, the complexation of trivalent actinides and lanthanides with C5-BPP was studied. The solid-state compounds [Ln(C5-BPP)(NO(3))(3)(DMF)] (Ln = Sm(III), Eu(III)) were synthesized, fully characterized, and compared to the solution structure of the Am(III) 1:1 complex [Am(C5-BPP)(NO(3))(3)]. The high stability constant of log β(3) = 14.8 ± 0.4 determined for the Cm(III) 1:3 complex is in line with C5-BPP's high distribution ratios for Am(III) observed in extraction experiments.

Selective separation of actinyl(V,VI) cations from aqueous solutions by Chelex-100

Abstract Experimental studies on the selectivity of Chelex-100 resin for the separation of actinide cations at different oxidation states (III, IV, V and VI) from aqueous solution have shown that Chelex-100 presents increased selectivity for actinyl cations at near neutral pH (pH ∼ 4.5). The effect of salinity on the chemical recovery indicates that the increased selectivity could be attributed to the formation of complexes with specific interactions and the pH area, in which the formation of the respective complexes is favored, indicates the occurrence of guest-host interactions. The specific interaction of Chelex-100 with actinyl cations could be of particular interest not only for the separation and preconcentration of uranium from natural waters prior its analysis but also for the recovery of uranium from seawater on a large scale.

The kinetics of lanthanide complexation by EDTA and DTPA in lactate media

The interaction of trivalent lanthanide and actinide cations with polyaminopolycarboxylic acid complexing agents in lactic acid buffer systems is an important feature of the chemistry of the TALSPEAK process for the separation of trivalent actinides from lanthanides. To improve understanding of metal ion coordination chemistry in this process, the results of an investigation of the kinetics of lanthanide complexation by ethylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and diethylenetriamine-N,N,N',N'',N''-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) in 0.3 M lactic acid/0.3 M ionic strength solution are reported. Progress of the reaction was monitored using the distinctive visible spectral changes attendant to lanthanide complexation by the colorimetric indicator ligand Arsenazo III, which enables the experiment but plays no mechanistic role. Under the conditions of these experiments, the reactions occur in a time regime suitable for study by stopped-flow spectrophotometric techniques. Experiments have been conducted as a function of EDTA/DTPA ligand concentration, total lactic acid concentration, and pH. The equilibrium perturbation reaction proceeds as a first order approach to equilibrium over a wide range of conditions, allowing the simultaneous determination of complex formation and dissociation rate constants. The rate of the complexation reaction has been determined for the entire lanthanide series (except Pm(3+)). The predominant pathway for lanthanide-EDTA and lanthanide-DTPA dissociation is inversely dependent on the total lactate concentration; the complex formation reaction demonstrates a direct dependence on [H(+)]. Unexpectedly, the rate of the complex formation reaction is seen in both ligand systems to be fastest for Gd(3+). Correlation of these results indicates that in 0.3 M lactate solutions the exchange of lanthanide ions between lactate complexes and the polyaminopolycarboxylate govern the process.

ChemInform Abstract: Oligopyrrole Macrocycles: Receptors and Chemosensors for Potentially Hazardous Materials

AbstractReview: 157 refs.

Oligopyrrole macrocycles: receptors and chemosensors for potentially hazardous materials.

Oligopyrroles represent a diverse class of molecular receptors that have been utilized in a growing number of applications. Recently, these systems have attracted interest as receptors and chemosensors for hazardous materials, including harmful anionic species, high-valent actinide cations, and nitroaromatic explosives. These versatile molecular receptors have been used to develop rudimentary colorimetric and fluorimetric assays for hazardous materials.

Gas-phase reactions of doubly charged actinide cations with alkanes and alkenes—probing the chemical activity of 5f electrons from Th to Cm

Small alkanes (methane, ethane, propane, n-butane) and alkenes (ethene, propene, 1-butene) were used to probe the gas-phase reactivity of doubly charged actinide cations, An(2+) (An = Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm), by means of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Different combinations of doubly and singly charged ions were observed as reaction products, comprising species formed via metal-ion induced eliminations of small molecules, simple adducts and ions resulting from electron, hydride or methide transfer channels. Th(2+), Pa(2+), U(2+) and Np(2+) preferentially yielded doubly charged products of hydrocarbon activation, while Pu(2+), Am(2+) and Cm(2+) reacted mainly through transfer channels. Cm(2+) was also capable of forming doubly charged products with some of the hydrocarbons whereas Pu(2+) and Am(2+) were not, these latter two ions conversely being the only for which adduct formation was observed. The product distributions and the reaction efficiencies are discussed in relation to the electronic configurations of the metal ions, the energetics of the reactions and similar studies previously performed with doubly charged lanthanide and transition metal cations. The conditions for hydrocarbon activation to occur as related to the accessibility of electronic configurations with one or two 5f and/or 6d unpaired electrons are examined and the possible chemical activity of the 5f electrons in these early actinide ions, particularly Pa(2+), is considered.

6-(3,5-Dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-2,2′-bipyridine as Ligand for Actinide(III)/Lanthanide(III) Separation

With the aim of better understanding the selectivity of the established system 2,6-ditriazinylpyridine (BTP) for actinide(III)/lanthanide(III) separations, a related model system was synthesized and studied. The N donor complexing ligand 6-(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-2,2'-bipyridine (dmpbipy) was synthesized having a fused N heterocycle ring structure modified from the BTP partitioning ligand, and its extraction performance and selectivity for trivalent actinide cations over lanthanides was evaluated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), and time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) results show that 1:1 complexes are formed, unlike the 1:3 complex for BTP systems. The equilibrium constant for curium complex formation with dmpbipy was determined to be log K = 2.80, similar to that for nitrate. The Gibbs free energy, ΔG(20 °C), of 1:1 Cm-dmpbipy formation in n-octan-1-ol was measured to be -15.5 kJ/mol. The dmpbipy ligand in 1-octanol does not extract Am(III) Eu(III) from HNO(3) but was found to extract Am(III) with limited selectivity over Eu(III) (SF(Am(III)/Eu(III)) ≈ 8) dissolved in 2-bromohexanoic acid and kerosene at pH > 2.4.

Do Aqueous Ternary Complexes Influence the TALSPEAK Process?

The aqueous speciation of trivalent lanthanide and actinide cations in solutions containing DTPA (diethylenetriamine-N,N,N′,N′,N′′-pentaacetic acid) and lactic acid were studied under conditions representative of the TALSPEAK process. Spectrophotometric titrations, fluorescence spectroscopy, and thermometric titrations were used to search for indications of ternary metal-DTPA-lactate complexes. The addition of lactate anions to metal-DTPA complexes was undetectable by any of these techniques, even at free lactate concentrations of 0.75 M. Although lactic acid is necessary for the optimal performance of the TALSPEAK process, we find that the fractions of aqueous ternary Ln3+/An3+-DTPA-lactate complexes are far too low to account for the observed acid dependence of TALSPEAK metal extraction.

Molecular solids of actinide hexacyanoferrate: Structure and bonding

The hexacyanometallate family is well known in transition metal chemistry because the remarkable electronic delocalization along the metal-cyano-metal bond can be tuned in order to design systems that undergo a reversible and controlled change of their physical properties. We have been working for few years on the description of the molecular and electronic structure of materials formed with [Fe(CN)6]n- building blocks and actinide ions (An = Th, U, Np, Pu, Am) and have compared these new materials to those obtained with lanthanide cations at oxidation state +III. In order to evaluate the influence of the actinide coordination polyhedron on the three-dimensional molecular structure, both atomic number and formal oxidation state have been varied : oxidation states +III, +IV. EXAFS at both iron K edge and actinide LIII edge is the dedicated structural probe to obtain structural information on these systems. Data at both edges have been combined to obtain a three-dimensional model. In addition, qualitative electronic information has been gathered with two spectroscopic tools : UV-Near IR spectrophotometry and low energy XANES data that can probe each atom of the structural unit : Fe, C, N and An. Coupling these spectroscopic tools to theoretical calculations will lead in the future to a better description of bonding in these molecular solids. Of primary interest is the actinide cation ability to form ionic — covalent bonding as 5f orbitals are being filled by modification of oxidation state and/or atomic number.

Lanthanide/actinide differentiation with sterically encumbered N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

A study is reported on the relative stability of trivalent bis(ligand) complexes of the form [M(L(R))(2)N''] for trivalent group 3, lanthanide and actinide cations, using the sterically demanding N-heterocyclic carbene ligand L(R) = [OCMe(2)CH(2){CNCH(2)CH(2)NR}] (R = (i)Pr L(P), Mes L(M), Dipp L(D); N'' = N(SiMe(3))(2)). For the small Y(III) cation (r(6-coord) = 1.040 A) and the smallest L(R), R = (i)Pr, mono, bis, and tris(L(P)) complexes can be made; [Y(L(P))(2)N''] and [Y(L(P))(3)] have been characterised. For the larger ligands, L(M) and L(D), only the mono(L(R)) complexes [Y(L(M))N''(2)] and [Y(L(D))N''(2)] can be made. For the larger Ce(III) (r(6-coord) = 1.15 A), mono(L(R)) and bis(L(R)) complexes [Ce(L(M))N''(2)], [Ce(L(D))N''(2)], [Ce(L(M))(2)N''], and [Ce(L(D))(2)N''] can be made; structural characterisation of the latter two confirm the high degree of steric congestion. The new complex [U(L(M))N''(2)] has also been isolated. Despite the very similar radii of Ce(III) and U(III) (r(6-coord) = 1.165 A), the complexes [U(L(R))(2)N''] cannot be isolated; a surprising display of the difference between the 4f and 5f metal series. However, the six-coordinate, bis(ligand) U(IV) complexes can readily be isolated if smaller ancillary ligands are used; [U(L(M))(2)I(2)] and [U(L(D))(2)I(2)] have been fully, including structurally, characterised.

A comparative study of actinide complexation in three ligand systems with increasing complexity

The complexation of thorium, neptunium and plutonium at oxidation state +IV with three ligands of increasing complexity has been investigated. These ligands are relevant for bio inorganic systems. The first ligand is the small nitrilotriacetic acid that often play the role of protecting ligands against hydrolysis. EXAFS results for the Th to Pu series have been correlated to quantum chemical calculations and show an homogeneous behavior of the actinide at oxidation state +IV. For larger ligands, steric effects may become significant and one can ask how the ligand may accommodate the large actinide cation coordination sphere. Model pentapeptides have been synthesized and tested as complexing agents. Comparison with NTA shows that the molecular arrangements are radically different. The third ligand system is transferrin, a diferric metalloptrotein that is well known to coordinate a large variety of cations from transition metals of f-elements. Metalloproteins bear primary, secondary and tertiary structures that all play a crucial role in bonding. At a given oxidation state (+IV), but for various atomic numbers (Th, Np, Pu) EXAFS data at the cation LIII edge exhibit significant coordination discrepancies that are related to a changes in protein geometry. In that sense, the metalloprotein may be viewed as a complex system.

Complexation and the laser luminescence studies of Eu(III), Am(III), and Cm(III) with EDTA, CDTA, and PDTA and their ternary complexation with dicarboxylates

Spectroscopy has been used to determine the number of coordinated water molecules bound to Eu(III) and Cm(III) in a series of binary complexes of polyaminocarboxylate and their ternary complexes with dicarboxylates as well as with similar ligands with additional O-, N-, and S-donors. Complexes of Eu(III) and Cm(III) with polyaminocarboxylate alone contain ca. 2.5–3.0 waters of hydration. Increasing the steric requirement of a polyaminocarboxylate by increasing the number of groups in the ligand backbone does not appreciably change the hydration of these cations. The stability constants of the binary and ternary complexes of Cm(III), Am(III), and Eu(III) with these ligands were measured by solvent extraction in a solution of 0.1 M (NaClO4). The size, basicity, specific M3+-second ligand interactions, and steric requirement of the ligands are the factors which affect the ternary complexation. Knowledge of the chemical species formed by actinide cations with organic ligands (carboxylates and aminocarboxylates), which are present in all nuclear waste, is important to understand the behavior of waste forms and the migration behavior of actinides in the environment.

Thermodynamics and Structure of Actinide(IV) Complexes with Nitrilotriacetic Acid

Nitrilotriacetic acid, commonly known as NTA (N(CH(2)CO(2)H)(3)), can be considered a representative of the polyaminocarboxylic family. The results presented in this paper describe the thermodynamical complexation and structural investigation of An(IV) complexes with NTA in aqueous solution. In the first part, the stability constants of the An(IV) complexes (An = Pu, Np, U, and Th) have been determined by spectrophotometry. In the second part, the coordination spheres of the actinide cation in these complexes have been described using extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and compared to the solid-state structure of (Hpy)(2)[U(NTA)(2)] x (H(2)O). These data are further compared to quantum chemical calculations, and their evolution across the actinide series is discussed. In particular, an interpretation of the role of the nitrogen atom in the coordination mode is proposed. These results are considered to be model behavior of polyaminocarboxylic ligands such as diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, which is nowadays the best candidate for a chelating agent in the framework of actinide decorporation for the human body.