Search

A new 3-fold interpenetrated uranyl organic framework, UO2(bdc)(dmpi), was hydrothermally synthesized using 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (H2bdc) and 1-(4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)-2,5-dimethylphenyl)-1H-imidazole (dmpi). This framework, which was determined by synchrotron radiation X-ray, exhibited a new 3-fold interpenetrated (2,4)-connected topology with the Schläfli symbol of (12(6))(12)2. Additionally, large incurvation happened to the bond angle of [O=U=O](2+), which was always arranged in a rigorous line. Computational results based on density functional theory (DFT) indicated that the bent geometry of uranyl in UO2(bdc)(dmpi) was mainly due to the higher charge populations in the valence 6d shells of uranium, rendered by the electronegative imidazoles.

Actinide separation in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing is essential for the closed nuclear fuel cycle. Organophosphorus reagents have been found to exhibit strong affinities for actinides in experiments. In this work, the extraction complexes of AnO2(n+) (An = U, Np; n = 1, 2) with the traditional organophosphorus ligand HDEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid) have been investigated using density functional theory together with scalar-relativistic effective core potentials (ECPs) for actinide elements. According to our calculations, the HDEHP dimer prefers to act as a bidentate ligand in most of the studied complexes. HDEHP ligands show a higher extraction ability for An(vi) over An(v), and the formation of Np(vi) complexes is slightly more favorable than those of U(vi) analogues, which is mainly attributed to the stronger donor-acceptor interaction in Np(vi) complexes. The intramolecular hydrogen bonds play a significant role in the stability of the 1 : 1 type complexes AnO2(HL)2(NO3)2 (L = DEHP(-)). Moreover, AnO2(HL)2(NO3)2 are the most stable species in nitrate-rich acid solutions, while at low nitric acid concentrations, the complexing reaction of AnO2(H2O)5(2+) + 2(HL)2 → AnO2(HL2)2 + 2H(+) + 5H2O is probably the dominant reaction in the extraction process. Our results can help to understand the speciation of actinyl complexes in real solvent extraction of actinides with HDEHP at the molecular level.

α-Al2O3 nanowires and nanobelts have been successfully synthesized from Al pieces and SiO2 nanoparticles at 1200 °C and 1150 °C, respectively, in a flowing Ar atmosphere. The α-Al2O3 nanowires are uniform with diameters of 20−70 nm and lengths of 15−25 μm, and the nanobelts are several to tens of micrometers long, with width of 0.1−1 μm and thickness of 10−50 nm. The growth of the nanowires is controlled by a vapor−liquid−solid (VLS) growth mechanism, while the growth of the nanobelts may be due to a vapor−solid (VS) process. Infrared spectra of these nanostructures are different from that of the bulk α-Al2O3. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements under excitation at about 255 nm show that the nanowires and nanobelts have emission peaks at 394 and 392 nm, respectively. On the basis of the discussion of the thermal annealing in different atmospheres such as O2 and H2 on the behaviors of the PL spectra, we suggest that optical transitions in oxygen-related defects, F+ (oxygen vacancy with one electron) center...

Due to the vast application potential of graphene oxide (GO)-based materials in nuclear waste processing, it is of pivotal importance to investigate the interaction mechanisms between actinide cations such as Np(V) and Pu(IV, VI) ions and GO. In this work, we have considered four types of GOs modified by hydroxyl, carboxyl, and carbonyl groups at the edge and epoxy group on the surface, respectively. The structures, bonding nature, and binding energies of Np(V) and Pu(IV, VI) complexes with GOs have been investigated systematically using scalar-relativistic density functional theory (DFT). Geometries and harmonic frequencies suggest that Pu(IV) ions coordinate more easily with GOs compared to Np(V) and Pu(VI) ions. NBO and electron density analyses reveal that the coordination bond between Pu(IV) ions and GO possesses more covalency, whereas for Np(V) and Pu(VI) ions electrostatic interaction dominates the An-OG bond. The binding energies in aqueous solution reveal that the adsorption abilities of all GOs for actinide ions follow the order of Pu(IV)Pu(VI)Np(V), which is in excellent agreement with experimental observations. It is expected that this study can provide useful information for developing more efficient GO-based materials for radioactive wastewater treatment.

The preorganized tetradentate 2,9-diamido-1,10-phenanthroline ligand with hard-soft donors combined in the same molecule has been found to possess high selectivity toward actinides in an acidic aqueous solution. In this work, density functional theory (DFT) coupled with the quasi-relativistic small-core pseudopotential method was used to investigate the structures, bonding nature, and thermodynamic behavior of uranium(VI), neptunium(V), and plutonium(IV,VI) with phenanthrolineamides. Theoretical optimization shows that Et-Tol-DAPhen and Et-Et-DAPhen ligands are both coordinated with actinides in a tetradentate chelating mode through two N donors of the phenanthroline moiety and two O donors of the amide moieties. It is found that [AnO2L(NO3)](n+) (An = U(VI), Np(V), Pu(VI); n = 0, 1) and PuL(NO3)4 are the main 1:1 complexes. With respect to 1:2 complexes, the reaction [Pu(H2O)9](4+)(aq) + 2L(org) + 2NO3(-)(aq) → [PuL2(NO3)2](2+)(org) + 9H2O(aq) might be another probable extraction mechanism for Pu(IV). From the viewpoint of energy, the phenanthrolineamides extract actinides in the order of Pu(IV)U(VI)Pu(VI)Np(V), which agrees well with the experimental results. Additionally, all of the thermodynamic reactions are more energetically favorable for the Et-Tol-DAPhen ligand than the Et-Et-DAPhen ligand, indicating that substitution of one ethyl group with one tolyl group can enhance the complexation abilities toward actinide cations (anomalous aryl strengthening).

A series of actinide (An) species of L-An-N compounds [An = Pa-Pu, L = [N(CH2CH2NSiPr3i)(3)](3-), Pr-i = CH(CH3)(2)] have been investigated using scalar relativistic density functional theory (DFT) without considering spin-orbit coupling effects. The ground state geometric and electronic structures and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis of actinide compounds were studied systematically in neutral and anionic forms. It was found that with increasing actinide atomic number, the bond length of terminal multiple An-N1 bond decreases, in accordance with the actinide contraction. The Mayer bond order of An-N1 decreases gradually from An = Pa to Pu, which indicates a decrease in bond strength. The terminal multiple bond for L-An-N compounds contains one sigma and two pi molecular orbitals, and the contributions of the 6d orbital to covalency are larger in magnitude than the 5f orbital based on NBO analysis and topological analysis of electron density. This work may help in understanding of the bonding nature of An-N multiple bonds and elucidating the trends and electronic structure changes across the actinide series. It can also shed light on the construction of novel An-N multiple bonds.

A preorganized tetradentate phenanthroline-derived amide ligand, N,N′-diethyl-N,N′-ditolyl-2,9-dicarboxamide-1,10-phenanthroline (Et-Tol-DAPhen), was found to show high selectivity towards small copper ions, which might be due to the change of the coordination mechanism from tetradentate to terdentate mode.

In this work, we reported a phenanthroline-based tetradentate ligand with hard-soft donors combined in the same molecule, N,N'-diethyl-N,N'-ditolyl-2,9-diamide-1,10-phenanthroline (Et-Tol-DAPhen), for the group separation of actinides over lanthanides. The synthesis and solvent extraction as well as complexation behaviors of the ligand with actinides and lanthanides are studied experimentally and theoretically. The ligand exhibits excellent extraction ability and high selectivity toward hexavalent, tetravalent, and trivalent actinides over lanthanides in highly acidic solution. The chemical stoichiometry of Th(IV) and U(VI) complexes with Et-Tol-DAPhen is determined to be 1:1 using X-ray crystallography. The stability constants of some typical actinide and lanthanide complexes of Et-Tol-DAPhen are also determined in methanol by UV-vis spectrometry. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the An-N bonds of the Et-Tol-DAPhen complexes have more covalent characters than the corresponding Eu-N bonds, which may in turn lead to the selectivity of Et-Tol-DAPhen toward actinides. This ligand possesses merits of both alkylamide and 219-bis-(5,6-dialkyl-1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline (R-BTPhen) extractants for efficient actinide extraction and the selectivity toward minor actinides over lanthanides and hence renders huge potential opportunities in high-level liquid waste (HLLW) partitioning.

Recent experiments have led to the discovery of the thermally unstable organocopper compounds (η(3)-C(3)H(5))CuMe(2), [(η(3)-C(3)H(5))CuMe(3)](-), and CuMe (4)(-) in which the copper atom is in the +3 formal oxidation state. In a quest for more stable organocopper compounds with copper in formal oxidation states above one, the binuclear cyclopentadienylcopper cyanides Cp(2)Cu(2)(CN)(n) (Cp = η(5)-C(5)H(5); n = 1, 2, 3) have been studied using density functional theory (DFT). The lowest energy structures are found to have terminal Cp rings and bridging cyanide ligands up to a maximum of two bridges. Higher-energy Cp(2)Cu(2)(CN)(n) (n = 1, 2, 3) structures are found with bridging Cp rings. The Cp(2)Cu(2)(CN)(3) derivatives, with the copper atoms in an average +2.5 oxidation state, are clearly thermodynamically disfavored with respect to cyanogen loss. However, Cp(2)Cu(2)(CN)(2) and Cp(2)Cu(2)(CN), with the copper atoms in the average oxidation states +1.5 and +2, respectively, are predicted to have marginal viability. The prospects for the copper(II) derivative Cp(2)Cu(2)(CN)(2) contrast with that of the "simple" Cu(CN)(2), which is shown both experimentally and theoretically to be unstable with respect to cyanogen loss to give CuCN.

The first binuclear sandwich-like complexes based on the aromatic tetraatomic species with formula M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (M = Al, Ga; E = N, P, As) have been studied by density functional theory (DFT). The stable conformer for each M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) is the staggered one with D(4d) symmetry except for Ga(2)(η(2)-N(4))(2) with C(2v) symmetry. Natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis indicates that the metal-metal bonds of Al(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = N, P, As) and Ga(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = P, As) are all σ single bonds, which are derived mostly from the s and p(z) orbitals of the metal atoms by molecular orbital (MO) analysis. For M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (M = Al, Ga; E = P, As), the metal-ligand interactions are covalent, while for Al(2)(η(4)-N(4))(2) the interactions between the Al atoms and the N(4)(2-) ligands are ionic. According to the calculated dissociation energies for breaking metal-metal bonds, the Al-Al and Ga-Ga bonds are very strong indicating that these stable sandwich-like compounds Al(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = N, P, As) and Ga(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = P, As) may be synthesized in future experiments. The nitrogen-rich compounds Al(2)(η(4)-N(4))(2) and Ga(2)(η(2)-N(4))(2) may be used as potential candidates of high energy density materials (HEDMs). Nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) values reveal that the E(4)(2-) rings in the Al(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = N, P, As) and Ga(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = P, As) species possess conflicting aromaticity (σ antiaromaticity and π aromaticity) and with the same ligands, the E(4)(2-) ligands in Ga(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) have more aromaticity than those in Al(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2).

α-Al2O3 nanowires and nanobelts have been successfully synthesized from Al pieces and SiO2 nanoparticles at 1200 °C and 1150 °C, respectively, in a flowing Ar atmosphere. The α-Al2O3 nanowires are uniform with diameters of 20−70 nm and lengths of 15−25 μm, and the nanobelts are several to tens of micrometers long, with width of 0.1−1 μm and thickness of 10−50 nm. The growth of the nanowires is controlled by a vapor−liquid−solid (VLS) growth mechanism, while the growth of the nanobelts may be due to a vapor−solid (VS) process. Infrared spectra of these nanostructures are different from that of the bulk α-Al2O3. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements under excitation at about 255 nm show that the nanowires and nanobelts have emission peaks at 394 and 392 nm, respectively. On the basis of the discussion of the thermal annealing in different atmospheres such as O2 and H2 on the behaviors of the PL spectra, we suggest that optical transitions in oxygen-related defects, F+ (oxygen vacancy with one electron) center...

At present, designing novel ligands for efficient actinide extraction in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing is extremely challenging due to the complicated chemical behaviors of actinides, the similar chemical properties of minor actinides (MA) and lanthanides, and the vulnerability of organic ligands in acidic radioactive solutions. In this work, a quantum chemical study on Am(III), Cm(III) and Eu(III) complexes with N,N,N',N'-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA) and N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-diheptyl-3-oxapentanediamide (DMDHOPDA) has been carried out to explore the extraction behaviors of trivalent actinides (An) and lanthanides (Ln) with diglycolamides from acidic media. It has been found that in the 1 : 1 (ligand : metal) and 2 : 1 stoichiometric complexes, the carbonyl oxygen atoms have stronger coordination ability than the ether oxygen atoms, and the interactions between metal cations and organic ligands are substantially ionic. The neutral ML(NO3)3 (M = Am, Cm, Eu) complexes seem to be the most favorable species in the extraction process, and the predicted relative selectivities are in agreement with experimental results, i.e., the diglycolamide ligands have slightly higher selectivity for Am(III) over Eu(III). Such a thermodynamical priority is probably caused by the higher stabilities of Eu(III) hydration species and Eu(III)-L complexes in aqueous solution compared to their analogues. In addition, our thermodynamic analysis from water to organic medium confirms that DMDHOPDA has higher extraction ability for the trivalent actinides and lanthanides than TODGA, which may be due to the steric hindrance of the bulky alkyl groups of TODGA ligands. This work might provide an insight into understanding the origin of the actinide selectivity and a theoretical basis for designing highly efficient extractants for actinide separation.

Two new layered 3D uranyl fluoride complexes: Na3(UO2)2F3(OH)4(H2O)2 (1) and Cs(UO2)2F5 (2) have been prepared using the hydrothermal method and characterized via single crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c [a = 15.125(3) A, b = 6.941(1) A, c = 11.257(2) A, and β = 94.76(3)°] and compound 2 in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm [a = 12.149(2) A, b = 11.862(2) A, c = 12.366(2) A], respectively. Both of them possess extended 3D structures. Furthermore, UVIO–alkalis (Na, Cs) interactions were observed in two compounds, which is relatively rare in U(VI) complexes. By introducing alkali ions, the layered structures can be further assembled into three-dimensional ones. Density functional theory (DFT) studies confirmed that the interactions between the alkalis and the oxygens of uranyl mainly ionic with small proportion of covalency, which results in the formation of these uranyl fluoride complexes with 3D structures.

The first nonmetal-centered binuclear sandwich-like complexes, B2(η4-E4)2 (E = CMe, N, P, As, Sb, Bi; Me = CH3), have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) to explore whether the nonmetal element can be at the center to form stable sandwich-like complexes. The stable conformer for each species is the D4d staggered one, in which there exists strong interaction between the two boron atoms. Natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis indicates that the boron–boron bonds are all σ single bonds, which are predicted to be derived mostly from the s and pz orbitals of the boron atoms. The boron–boron bond dissociation energies are higher than that of the Zn–Zn bond in the synthesized complex Cp*ZnZnCp* (Cp* = C5Me5; Me = CH3) suggesting that these nonmetal-centered sandwich-like complexes may be synthesized in future experiments. According to the energy decomposition analysis (EDA), the boron–boron bond is much weaker than the boron–ligand bond and the ability of the E2−4 ligands to stabilize the boron–boron bonds is in the order of N2−4 > P2−4 > As2−4 > Sb2−4 > Bi2−4. Nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values reveal that E2−4 (E = CMe, N, P, As, Sb) rings of B2(η4-E4)2 exhibit characteristics of π aromaticity at 1.0 A above the ring center, whereas Bi2−4 rings of B2(η4-Bi4)2 possess antiaromaticity. In addition, the differences in the bonding nature between the nonmetal-centered and metal-centered binuclear sandwich-like complexes were also investigated. In these nonmetal-centered complexes B2(η4-E4)2, the interactions between the boron atoms and the E2−4 ligands are more than half covalent, while in the metal-centered binuclear sandwich-like complexes, the metal–ligand interactions are mainly ionic.