Particle analysis for a strengthened safeguards system: Use of a scanning electron microscope equipped with EDXRF and WDXRF spectrometers

The purpose of this study was twofold: the identification of some uranium compounds and a measurement of mixed U/Pu particles with different ratios of these elements. We used a Philips XL-30 scanning electron microscope equipped with an EDAX energy dispersive spectrometer with a Si(Li) detector and a super ultra-thin polymer window and with a Microspec wavelength dispersive spectrometer. A number of WDXRF and EDXRF spectra of U and Pu containing particles were accumulated and evaluated. The software package provided by the manufacturer was used for EDXRF spectra evaluation and calculation of the weight and atomic composition. Eight different U compounds were identified with a different degree of confidence. Several different types of U and Pu particles were measured using the WDXRF spectrometer and the results of the measurements are discussed. The measurement of mixed U-Pu particles showing large differences in the concentration of both elements can best be carried out with the use of WDXRF because the deconvolution of the M lines of U and Pu in the energy dispersive spectra is only possible over a relatively small concentration range. The results of particle analysis are very useful for verifying the absence of undeclared nuclear activities.     

Intrachain electron transfer in conducting oligomers and polymers: the mixed valence approach

Organic mixed valence compounds consisting of bisdiarylamino charge-bearing units with an oligothiophene bridge and oligothiophene radical cations have been compared using molecular modeling. The study has been performed with oligomers of 1 to 22 thiophene units. These two series of molecules have several properties in common, and intramolecular Single Electron Transfer (SET) in both series can be described within the same theoretical framework. Conducting oligomer radical cations and slightly doped conducting polymers appear as special cases of the vast ensemble of organic mixed valence compounds. Short oligomers are class III, whereas longer oligomers and conducting polymers are class II. Therefore, doped conducting polymers cannot be correctly modeled using oligomers with a short conjugation length. Experimental evidence extracted from the literature confirms these findings. Single electron transfer theories can thus be used when studying interchain and intrachain electron transfer in slightly doped conducting polymers and in materials consisting of short oligomers. This makes it possible to extract from the UV-vis-near-IR spectra the electron-transfer constant rate along or between the pi-conjugated chain. The main differences among inorganic, organic, and conducting oligomer or polymer mixed valence compounds lies in the H(ab) and lambda values associated with these different series. Inorganic mixed valence compounds have small H(ab) and lambda values; organic mixed valence compounds have large H(ab) and lambda values, whereas conducting oligomers and polymers have large H(ab) but small lambda values. This induces charge delocalization to occur for systems larger than those of inorganic and nitrogen-centered organic mixed valence compounds.     

Quantum chemical calculations of the redox potential of the Pu(VII)/Pu(VIII) couple

The redox potential of the Pu(VII)/Pu(VIII) couple was studied by density functional theory calculations. The spin-orbit effect was corrected at the CASSCF level. The redox potential (relative to the standard hydrogen potential) of the Pu(VII)/Pu(VIII) couple in alkaline solution was found to vary from 4.36 to 1.06 V depending on the number of Pu-O oxo bonds, coordination numbers, and coordination modes. The redox potential drops substantially as the number of Pu-O oxo bonds increases. Pu(VIII) may be synthesized in strong alkaline solution assuming that both Pu(VII) and Pu(VIII) exist in penta-oxo form, Pu (VII)O 5OH (4-) and Pu (VIII)O 5OH (3-), respectively. The Mulliken population of Pu in Pu(VII) and Pu(VIII) complexes are very similar, suggesting that the spin-orbit effect is rather small in Pu(VII) complexes and that when Pu(VII) is oxidized to Pu(VIII) the electron is stripped mainly from the ligand. Consequently, Pu(VIII) is in an unstable oxidation state and easily reduced back to Pu(VII) by the solvent water molecules. In acidic medium, the Pu(VII)/Pu(VIII) redox potential is too high to get the Pu(VIII) valence state.     

Speciation and unusual reactivity in PuO2+x

Pu L(3) XAFS measurements show that the excess oxygen in single phase PuO(2+)(x)() occurs as oxo groups with Pu-O distances of 1.83-1.91 A. This distance and the energy of the edge (via comparison with a large number of related compounds) are more consistent with a Pu(IV/V) than a Pu(IV/VI) mixture. Analogous to Pu(IV) colloids, although the Pu-Pu pair distribution remains single site even when it shows substantial disorder, the Pu-O distribution can display a number of additional shells at specific distances up to 3.4 A even in high fired materials when no oxo groups are present, implying intrinsic H(+)/OH(-)(/H(2)O). The number of oxo atoms increases when samples are equilibrated with humid air at ambient temperature, indicating that the Pu reactivity in this solid system differs notably from that of isolated complexes and demonstrating the importance of nanoscale cooperative phenomena and total free energy in determining its chemical properties.     

Green's function calculations on the complete valence ionization spectra of HF,HCl, HBr AND HI

The ionization spectra of the entire valence region are calculated for HF, HCl, HBr and HI. For the two ionization processes of lowest energy the common molecular orbital picture of ionization applies, whereas this picture breaks down for ionization from the inner valence α-orbital. For HF and HCl basis set effects on the calculated outer-valence ionization energies are investigated and accurate values are computed using large basis sets. The calculated inner valence ionization spectra are compared with recent (e, 2e)-measurements.     

Valence determination of manganese in battery cathode materials by high-resolution Mn Kalpha1 spectra.

High-resolution the Mn Kalpha1 X-ray fluorescence spectra (HRXRF) were measured for a variety of manganese compounds, the oxidation number (valence) of which was from II to VII. Plots of the valence against the full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the chemical shift of the Kalpha1 X-ray fluorescence spectra give a curve and a liniar relation, respectively. The coefficient of correlation (R2) for the latter plot was 0.989 between valency II and VII. More excellent linearlity from III to IV was obtained with R2 = 0.995, which enabled us to determine the oxidation number of manganese atom in a nickel ion doped spinel structure, LiMn2O4 (LiNixMn(2-x)O4, with 0.2 < x < 0.42). From the valence of manganese ion obtained from HRXRF, the oxidation number of nickel ion is concluded to be divalent.     

Variable-energy photoelectron spectroscopy of substituted rhenium and manganese pentacarbonyls: molecular orbital assignments and the interatomic resonant effect

High-resolution variable-energy photoelectron spectra of M(CO)5X [M = Re, X = Re(CO)5, Cl, Br, and I; and M = Mn, X = Mn(CO)5 and Br] are reported. Tunable synchrotron radiation is used to distinguish the Re 5d and Br 4p orbital based peaks for the controversial Re(CO)5Br. Our results provide firm molecular orbital assignments for all of these molecules. The valence orbital in the ordering of ionization energies for M(CO)5Cl (M = Mn and Re) and Mn(CO)5Br is a 1(M-X) > e(X) > b2(M) > e(M); but for M(CO)5I (M = Mn and Re) and Re(CO)5Br the ordering is a1(M-X) > e(M) > b2(M) > e(X). The crossover of the HOMO in the Re molecules due to the change in the halogen electronegativities occurs at Re(CO)5Br. The metal np-->nd resonance is observed for all of these molecules. For molecules like M2(CO)10 (M = Re and Mn) and Mn(CO)5Br, the observation of this np-->nd resonance is useful in assigning the metal nd based orbitals in their valence level spectra. However, for molecules like Re(CO)5X (X = Br and Cl), a np-->nd type resonance is observed on bands arising from both Re 5d and halogen mp based orbitals. This new resonant effect on the ligand-based orbitals is shown to be mainly due to the interatomic resonant effect. The core and valence level chemical shifts of these compounds are treated using Jolly's approach to confirm the assignments for the valence level spectra of some of these molecules. The high-resolution inner valence and core level spectra of these compounds are reported. Broadening of Re 4f, Br 3d, and I 4d core level spectra is discussed. The Auger peaks are observed in the high-resolution, high-intensity Br 3d of Re(CO)5Br and I 4d of Re(CO)5I spectra.     

Photoelectron spectra of some antibiotic building blocks: 2-azetidinone and thiazolidine-carboxylic Acid

X-ray photoelectron spectra of the core and valence levels of the fundamental building blocks of β-lactam antibiotics have been investigated and compared with theoretical calculations. The spectra of the compounds 2-azetidinone and the 2- and 4-isomers of thiazolidine-carboxylic acid are interpreted in the light of theoretical calculations. The spectra of the two isomers of thiazolidine-carboxylic acid are rather similar, as expected, but show clear effects due to isomerization. Both isomers are analogues of proline, which is well-known to populate several low energy conformers in the gas phase. We have investigated the low energy conformers of thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid theoretically in more detail and find some spectroscopic evidence that multiple conformers may be present. The measured valence levels are assigned for all three compounds, and the character of the frontier orbitals is identified and analyzed.     

Large shift and small broadening of Br2 valence band upon dimer formation with H2O: an ab initio study

Valence electronic excitation spectra are calculated for the H(2)O···Br(2) complex using highly correlated ab initio potentials for both the ground and the valence electronic excited states and a 2-D approximation for vibrational motion. Due to the strong interaction between the O-Br and the Br-Br stretching motions, inclusion of these vibrations is the minimum necessary for the spectrum calculation. A basis set calculation is performed to determine the vibrational wave functions for the ground electronic state and a wave packet simulation is conducted for the nuclear dynamics on the excited state surfaces. The effects of both the spin-orbit interaction and temperature on the spectra are explored. The interaction of Br(2) with a single water molecule induces nearly as large a shift in the spectrum as is observed for an aqueous solution. In contrast, complex formation has a remarkably small effect on the T = 0 K width of the valence bands due to the fast dissociation of the dihalogen bond upon excitation. We therefore conclude that the widths of the spectra in aqueous solution are mostly due to inhomogeneous broadening.     

Energetics of Ce and Pu incorporation into zirconolite waste-forms

The General Utility Lattice Program (GULP) has been used to model the zirconolite lattice, calculate the energies of substituting Ce(3+), Ce(4+), Pu(3+), Pu(4+) and Fe(3+) into the lattice both as single and multi-defect systems and model the formation of Ce(3+), Ce(4+), Pu(3+) and Pu(4+) doped zirconolite lattices. These results have been compared against experimental observations, with particular emphasis on those Ce containing solid solutions that exhibit Ce(3+)/Ce(4+) mixed valence characteristics. It is found that the Ce(3+)/Ce(4+) mixed valence is as a result of reduction within the lattice, with the Ce(3+) being stabilised on the Ca site, and that this behaviour would not be expected for the corresponding Pu solid solutions.     

A chemical/computational approach to the determination of absolute configuration of flexible and transparent molecules: aliphatic diols as a case study

By reacting flexible and optically transparent in UV-vis molecules such as 1,2-, syn- and anti-1,3-diols, 1,3-sulfanylalcohols of known absolute configuration (AC) with fluorenone dimethyl acetal, the corresponding ketals are obtained. They are conformationally well-defined (only one conformer in most cases) compounds exhibiting medium-high optical rotation (OR) values, which are independent of the solvent, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, which show several (up to five) Cotton effects in the 350-200 nm range due to valence shell pi-->pi* transitions. These features allow simulation of the chiroptical properties of these compounds at the TDDFT/B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory to obtain, using the known ACs of these compounds, a satisfactory reproduction of the OR values (sign and order of magnitude; quantitatively, the predicted values are twice the experimental ones), and a more than satisfactory reproduction of the ECD spectra (sign, intensity, and position of the lowest-energy four Cotton effects) for all the compounds studied. Therefore, this approach can be used to assign the AC of such flexible molecules, in particular, syn-1,3-diols, which are important substrates in organic synthesis and for which nonempirical methods of AC assignment have not been devised so far. Furthermore, since the fluorene chromophore leads to the presence of several Cotton effects from, say, 350 to 200 nm, their correct simulation of sign, intensity, and position is a guarantee of the correct assignment of AC: in this way, ECD spectroscopy gains the same advantages of VCD spectroscopy, that is, the need of reproducing many ECD bands and then a solid guarantee of a correct AC assignment.     

Environmental Mobility of Pu(IV) in the Presence of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid: Myth or Reality?

Ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA), which was co-disposed with Pu at several US Department of Energy sites, has been reported to enhance the solubility and transport of Pu. It is generally assumed that this enhanced transport of Pu in geologic environments is a result of complexation of Pu(IV) with EDTA. However, the fundamental basis for this assumption has never been fully explored. Whether EDTA can mobilize Pu(IV) in geologic environments is dependent on many factors, chief among them are not only the complexation constants of Pu with EDTA and dominant oxidation state and the nature of Pu solids, but also (1) the complexation constants of environmentally important metal ions (e.g., Fe, Al, Ca, Mg) that compete with Pu for EDTA and (2) EDTA interactions with the geomedia (e.g., adsorption, biodegradation) that reduce effective EDTA concentrations available for complexation. Extensive studies over a large range of pH values (1 to 14) and EDTA concentrations (0.0001 to 0.01 mol⋅L⁻¹) as a function of time were conducted on the solubility of 2-line ferrihydrite (Fe(OH)₃(s)), PuO₂(am) in the presence of different concentrations of Ca ions, and mixtures of PuO₂(am) and Fe(OH)₃(s). The solubility data were interpreted using Pitzer’s ion-interaction approach to determine/validate the solubility product of Fe(OH)₃(s), the complexation constants of Pu(IV)-EDTA and Fe(III)-EDTA, and to determine the effect of EDTA in solubilizing Pu(IV) from PuO₂(am) in the presence of Fe(III) compounds and aqueous Ca concentrations. Predictions based on these extensive fundamental data show that environmental mobility of Pu as a result of Pu(IV)-EDTA complexation as reported/implied in the literature is a myth rather than the reality. The data also show that in geologic environments where Pu(III) and Pu(V) are stable, the EDTA complexes of these oxidation states may play an important role in Pu mobility.     

The electronic structure of free water clusters probed by Auger electron spectroscopy

(H2O)(N) clusters generated in a supersonic expansion source with N approximately 1000 were core ionized by synchrotron radiation, giving rise to core-level photoelectron and Auger electron spectra (AES), free from charging effects. The AES is interpreted as being intermediate between the molecular and solid water spectra showing broadened bands as well as a significant shoulder at high kinetic energy. Qualitative considerations as well as ab initio calculations explain this shoulder to be due to delocalized final states in which the two valence holes are mostly located at different water molecules. The ab initio calculations show that valence hole configurations with both valence holes at the core-ionized water molecule are admixed to these final states and give rise to their intensity in the AES. Density-functional investigations of model systems for the doubly ionized final states--the water dimer and a 20-molecule water cluster--were performed to analyze the localization of the two valence holes in the electronic ground states. Whereas these holes are preferentially located at the same water molecule in the dimer, they are delocalized in the cluster showing a preference of the holes for surface molecules. The calculated double-ionization potential of the cluster (22.1 eV) is in reasonable agreement with the low-energy limit of the delocalized hole shoulder in the AES.     

Matrix effects in the carbon 1s near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectra of condensed alkanes

The carbon 1s near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of simple gaseous alkane molecules differ from the spectra of the same alkane molecules in the condensed phase. The origin of these large, systematic differences is poorly understood. The NEXAFS spectra of gaseous alkanes are interpreted as a progression of core-->Rydberg transitions with distinctive vibronic structure. The interpretation of the NEXAFS spectra of condensed phase alkanes is varied. Specifically, the degree of Rydberg character in the pre-edge core excited states of condensed alkanes is controversial. We determined the character of core excited states in condensed alkanes with a combination of experiment and computational study. From this, we have determined the nature of matrix effects for these species. The high-resolution carbon 1s NEXAFS spectrum of gaseous neopentane is dramatically different from its condensed phase spectrum, a striking illustration of the dramatic spectroscopic changes that occur upon condensation. High quality ab initio calculations of a cluster designed to model the solid phase environment provide definitive evidence for the reduction of Rydberg character and support the assignment of sigma*C-H) valence character in the pre-edge features in the NEXAFS spectra of condensed alkanes.     

Theoretical study of the X-ray photoionization spectra of polycycloalkanes

The dependence of X-ray photoionization spectra on structural characteristics is assessed by one-particle Green's function calculations on the nearly isomeric adamantane, 1,4-dimethyl bicyclo [2,2,2] octane and 1,1,4,4-tetramethyl cyclohexane compounds. These calculations are carried out using the quasi-particle approximation and the diagonal 2ph-TDA renormalization scheme for the self-energy. The simulated spectra fingerprint remarkably the atomic connectivity from their inner valence part, through the interplay of energy degeneracies and the influence of torsional strains on electron binding energies. The boundary region between the inner and outer valence bands provides also specific signatures for molecular characteristics pertaining to conformational questions, namely the enforced conversion from the chair to the boat form of the cyclohexane units generating these compounds. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure of X-ray photoelectron, emission, and conversion spectra and molecular orbitals of uranium compounds

The fine structure of X-ray photoelectron spectra of uranium compounds in the range of electron binding energies from 0 to ∼50 eV is largely determined by the electrons of the outer and inner valence molecular orbitals arising from the valence atomic shells, including the U6p and Lns low-energy occupied atomic shells. This result is in agreement with the data of the electronic structure calculations of these compounds and confirmed by the nuclear electron (conversion) and X-ray emission spectroscopic investigations. It is shown that the fine structure of X-ray photoelectron spectra associated with the electrons of inner valence molecular orbitals makes it possible to judge the participation of the electrons of the occupied atomic shells in chemical bonding, the structure of the nearest environments of the atom, and the bond lengths in the compounds. The overall contribution of the electrons of these molecular orbitals to the absolute value of binding energy may prove to be comparable to the contribution of the electrons of the outer valence molecular orbitals to atomic bonding. This is a new and important fact in chemistry. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 39, No. 6, pp. 1037–1046, November–December, 1998.     

Solvent effects on charge transfer bands of nitrogen-centered intervalence compounds

Electron transfer parameters are extracted from the optical spectra of intervalence bis(hydrazine) radical cations. Compounds with 2-tert-butyl-3-phenyl-2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octyl-containing charge-bearing units that are doubly linked by 4-sigma-bond and by 6-sigma-bond saturated bridges are compared with ones having tert-butylisopropyl- and diphenyl-substituted charge bearing units and others having the aromatic units functioning as the bridge. Solvent effect studies show that the optical transition energy (E(op)) does not behave as dielectric continuum theory predicts but that solvent reorganization energy may be usefully separated from the vibrational reorganization energy by including linear terms in both the Pekar factor (gamma) and the Gutmann donor number (DN) in correlating the solvent effect. Solvation of the bridge for these compounds is too large to ignore, which makes dielectric continuum theory fail to properly predict solvent effects on either E(op) or the free energy for comproportionation.     

Zur Koordinationschemie des Rhenium(VII). IV. t-Butylperrhenat

On the coordination chemistry of rhenium(VII). IV. t-Butylperrhenate t-Butylperrhenate is obtained in good yield form Re₂O₇ and di-t-butylether (data of an improved instruction for the preparation of the either) or from Re₂O₇ and t-butanol. The colourless crystals are decomposed already at ?40°C. The position of Re? O valence vibrational bands in the IR spectra of t-butylperrhenate and trimethylsilylperrhenate indicate a high formal bonding number at rhenium(VII) in these compounds. They do not add dimethylformamide as a mere ligand, but interact with it to form DMF complexes of Re₂O₇.     

Quantitative XPS of plutonium: Evaluation of the Pu4f peak shape,relative sensitivity factors and estimated detection limits

High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectra have been acquired from sputter cleaned and in situ oxidized samples of α-plutonium and a face-centred cubic δ-plutonium–gallium alloy. The differences in the Pu4f peak shape in these two materials have been investigated, and the poorly screened satellite peaks have been quantified. Curve fitting parameters for the Pu4p_3/2, Pu4d_5/2, Pu4f and Pu6p_3/2 photoelectron peaks are reported, and relative sensitivity factors have been determined. The Pu4f curve fit model has been applied to data acquired using different spectrometers and alloys. Examples of quantification of the plutonium spectra are provided and minimum detection limits are calculated for common impurities in plutonium metal.     

Pu3M和PuM3 (M=Ga,In, Sn,Ge)化合物的电子结构和形成热

采用全势线性缀加平面波(FPLAPW)方法, 在广义梯度近似(GGA)+自旋轨道耦合(SOC)+自旋极化(SP)下计算了具有AuCu3构型的Pu3M和PuM3 (M=Ga, In, Sn, Ge)化合物的平衡结构、电子结构和形成热. 计算的晶格常数与实验值符合得很好; 态密度分析表明Pu 和M 原子轨道间的杂化作用决定于Pu 6d-Pu 5f、Mp-Pu 6d和Msp-M sp轨道杂化之间的竞争, 而这种竞争又依赖于M的含量; 电负性差和电子杂化效应是影响Pu3M和PuM3化合物形成热和稳定性的两个重要因素, 电负性差越大, M的s、p带中心距费米能级越远, Pu3M(PuM3)化合物的形成热越负, 稳定性越高.