FTICR/MS studies of gas-phase actinide ion reactions: fundamental chemical and physical properties of atomic and molecular actinide ions and neutrals

Fundamental aspects of the chemical and physical properties of atomic and molecular actinide ions and neutrals are being examined by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR/MS). To date, gas-phase reactivity studies of bare and ligated An⁺ and An²⁺ ions, where An = Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, and Cm, with oxidants and with hydrocarbons have been performed. Among the information that has been deduced from these studies are thermodynamic properties of neutral and ionic actinide oxide molecules and the role of the 5f electrons in actinide chemistry. Parallel theoretical studies of selected actinide molecular ions have also been carried out to substantiate the interpretation of the experimental observations.     

Noble gas-actinide compounds: evidence for the formation of distinct CUO(Ar)(4-n)(Xe)(n) and CUO(Ar)(4-n)(Kr)(n) (n = 1, 2, 3, 4) complexes

Laser-ablated U atoms react with CO in excess argon to produce CUO, which gives rise to 852.5 and 804.3 cm-1 infrared absorptions for the triplet state CUO(Ar)n complex in solid argon at 7 K. Relativistic density functional calculations show that the CUO(Ar) complex is stable and that up to four or five argon atoms can complex to CUO. When 1-3% Xe is added to the argon/CO reagent mixture, strong absorptions appear at 848.0 and 801.3 cm-1 and dominate new four-band progressions, which increase on annealing to 35-50 K as Xe replaces Ar in the intimate coordination sphere. Analogous spectra are obtained with 1-2% Kr added. This work provides evidence for eight distinct CUO(Ng)n(Ar)4-n (Ng = Kr, Xe, n = 1, 2, 3, 4) complexes and the first characterization of neutral complexes involving four noble-gas atoms on one metal center.     

Reactions of laser-ablated uranium atoms with H2O in excess argon: a matrix infrared and relativistic DFT investigation of uranium oxyhydrides

Laser-ablated U atoms react with H2O during condensation in excess argon. Infrared absorptions at 1416.3, 1377.1, and 859.4 cm(-1) are assigned to symmetric H-U-H, antisymmetric H-U-H, and U=O stretching vibrations of the primary reaction product H(2)UO. Uranium monoxide, UO, also formed in the reaction, inserts into H2O to produce HUO(OH), which absorbs at 1370.5, 834.3, and 575.7 cm(-1). The HUO(OH) uranium(IV) product undergoes ultraviolet photoisomerization to a more stable H2UO2 uranium(VI) molecule, which absorbs at 1406.4 and 885.9 cm(-1). Several of these species, particularly H2UO2, appear to form weak Ar-coordinated complexes. The predicted vibrational frequencies, relative absorption intensities, and isotopic shifts from relativistic DFT calculations are in good agreement with observed spectra, which further supports the identification of novel uranium oxyhydrides from matrix infrared spectra.     

Theoretical investigations of uranyl-ligand bonding: four- and five-coordinate uranyl cyanide, isocyanide, carbonyl, and hydroxide complexes

The coordination and bonding of equatorial hydroxide, carbonyl, cyanide (CN-), and isocyanide (NC-) ligands with uranyl dication, [UO2]2+, has been studied using density functional theory with relativistic effective core potentials. Good agreement is seen between experimental and calculated geometries of [UO2(OH)4]2-. Newly predicted ground-state structures of [UO2(OH)5]3-, [UO2(CO)4]2+, [UO2(CO)5]2+, [UO2(CN)4]2-, [UO2(CN)5]3-, [UO2(NC)4]2-, and [UO2(NC)5]3- are reported. Four-coordinate uranyl isocyanide complexes are the predicted gas-phase species while five-coordinate uranyl cyanide complexes are energetically favorable in aqueous solution. Small energy differences between cyanide and isocyanide complexes indicate the energetic feasibility of mixed cyanide and isocyanide complexes. A D2d uranyl tetrahydroxide is the dominant gas-phase and aqueous species, but formation of uranyl carbonyl complexes is seen to be exothermic in the gas-phase and endothermic in aqueous solution.     

On-line delta(18)O measurement of organic and inorganic substances

A method for the automated sample conversion and on-line oxygen isotope ratio (delta(18)O) determination for organic and inorganic substances is presented. The samples are pyrolytically decomposed at 1400 degrees C in the presence of nickelized graphite. With the system presented organic as well as inorganic samples such as nitrates, sulphates and phosphates of 50-100 &mgr;g O can be analyzed for their delta(18)O values with a standard deviation usually better than 0.5 per thousand. Additionally, carbon isotope ratios of organic substances and nitrogen isotope ratios of inorganic nitrogenous compounds are available in the same sample run. Data for international and some inter-laboratory reference materials are presented to show the accuracy and reliability of the method. The effect of some additives on the CO yield was checked for substances which do not pyrolyze completely. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Metathesis of nitrogen atoms within triple bonds involving carbon, tungsten, and molybdenum

(ButO)3Mo triple bond N and W2(OBut)6(M triple bond M) react in hydrocarbons to form Mo2(OBut)6(M triple bond M) and (ButO)3W triple bond N via the reactive intermediate MoW(OBut)6(M triple bond M). (ButO)3W triple bond N and CH3C triple bond N15 react in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at room temperature to give an equilibrium mixture involving (ButO)3W triple bond N15 and CH3C triple bond N. The (ButO)3W triple bond N compound is similarly shown to act as a catalyst for N15-atom scrambling between MeC13 triple bond N15 and PhC triple bond N to give a mixture of MeC13 triple bond N and PhC triple bond N15. From studies of degenerate scrambling of N atoms involving (ButO)3W triple bond N and MeC13 triple bond N in THF-d8 by 13C(1H) NMR spectroscopy, the reaction was found to be first order in acetonitrile and the activation parameters were estimated to be DeltaH = 13.4(7) kcal/mol and DeltaS = -32(2) eu. A similar reaction is observed for (ButO)3Mo triple bond N and CH3C triple bond N15 upon heating in THF-d8. The reaction is suppressed in pyridine solutions and not observed for the dimeric [(ButMe2SiO)3W triple bond N]2. The reaction pathway has been investigated by calculations employing density functional theory on the model compounds (MeO)3M triple bond N and CH3C triple bond N where M = Mo and W. The transition state was found to involve a product of the 2 + 2 cycloaddition of M triple bond N and C triple bond N, a planar metalladiazacyclobutadiene. This resembles the pathway calculated for alkyne metathesis involving (MeO)3W triple bond CMe, which modeled the metathesis of (ButO)3W triple bond CBut. The calculations also predict that the energy of the transition state is notably higher for M = Mo relative to M = W.     

On the electronic structure of molecular UO2 in the presence of Ar atoms: evidence for direct U-Ar bonding

Calculations via scalar-relativistic density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio CCSD(T) methodologies are used to explore the possibility of direct interactions between molecular UO2 and Ar atoms. The 3Hg electronic state of UO2, which is an excited state of the isolated molecule, exhibits significant bonding to Ar in the model complexes UO2(Ar) and UO2(Ar)5. The calculated vibrational frequencies of ground-state 3Phiu UO2 and UO2(Ar)5 with an (fphi)1(fdelta)1 electron configuration agree well with the observed frequencies of UO2 in solid neon and solid argon, respectively. The results strongly suggest that the ground electron configuration of UO2 changes from 5f17s1 to 5f2 when the matrix host is changed from neon to argon.     

M2 delta-to-oxalate pi* conjugation in oxalate-bridged complexes containing M-M quadruple bonds

The electronic structures of oxalate-bridged, quadruply-bonded dimolybdenum and ditungsten compounds have been investigated by a variety of computational methods employing density function theory (gradient corrected and time-dependent) which reveal the consequences of strong mixing of M2 delta and oxalate pi orbitals within extended chains and cyclic structures.