Recent radiochemical studies of the fission process

This article summarizes the recent radiochemical investigations on mass, charge kinetic energy and fragment angular distributions in low energy fission of actinides.     

Anion substitution effects on structure and magnetism in the chromium chalcogenide Cr5Te8—Part I: Cluster glass behavior in trigonal Cr(1+x)Q2 with basic cell (Q=Te, Se; Te:Se=7:1)

The effect of substitution of the anion Te by Se in non-stoichiometric Cr₅Te₈ has been investigated with respect to its crystal structure, magnetic properties, and electronic structure. The compounds Cr_(1+x)Q₂ (Q=Te, Se; Te:Se=7:1; (1+x)=1.234(6), 1.264(6), 1.300(7)) were synthesized at elevated temperatures followed by quenching the samples to room temperature. The crystal structures have been refined with X-ray powder diffraction data with the Rietveld method in the trigonal space group with lattice parameters a=3.8651(1)-3.8831(1) Å and c=5.9917(2)-6.0528(2) Å. The structure is related to the NiAs structure with full and deficient metal layers stacking alternatively along the c-axis. The irreversibility in the field-cooled/zero-field-cooled magnetization suggests that the substitution effects of one Te by one Se is strong enough to cause cluster-glass behavior, from ferromagnetic Cr₅Te₈ to cluster-glass Cr_(1+x)Q₂. Non-saturation magnetizations at 5.5 T and the magnetic relaxation results further support the existence of cluster-glass behavior. Accompanying SPR-KKR (spin-polarized relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker) band structure calculations strongly support the observation that the Cr(1) sites are preferentially occupied by Cr atoms and predict that these compounds are metallic. Results for the spin-resolved DOS and magnetic moments on each crystallographic sites are presented.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Ho_4S_3Si_2O_7

1 INTRODUCTION Halide fluxes are excellent media for growing single crystals of chalcogenides[1~5]. On our research in the Ln-Cu-Zn-Se system to find new phases and to search for potential infrared ceramic materials, two new compounds, KHo2CuSe4 and KEr2CuSe4, were synthesized from the reaction of the precursor with KCl flux[6]. In an attempt to synthesize the homologous sulfide by the same method using KBr as flux in a sealed evacuated quartz tube, single crystals of Ho4S3Si2O7 w…     

Octanuclear Rare-Earth Clusters

The polyoxo rare-earth core (Ln = Y, Gd, and Yb) has been synthesized from the appropriate rare-earth chloride hydrate and K₂Se and Se in dmf (dimethylformamide). The cluster core is ligated with a variety of polyselenido chains in addition to a number of dmf molecules. The structure of the Gd₈(dmf)₁₃(₄-O)(₃-OH)₁₂(Se₃)(Se₄)₂(Se₅)₂ cluster, 1, was determined by X-ray diffraction methods. It is similar to an Eu cluster previously characterized. Two new clusters, Yb₈(dmf)₁₁(₄-O)(₃-OH)₁₂(Se₄)₂(Se₅)₂Cl₂·dmf, 2, and Y₈(dmf)₁₂(₄-O)(₃-OH)₁₂(Se₄)₄Cl₂·6 dmf, 3, have also been synthesized and characterized. Clusters 2 and 3 have the same octanuclear core of rare-earth atoms as the Gd cluster but contain two chloro ligands in two isomeric conformations in place of the Se ₃ ^2- ring in the Gd cluster. The geometry of the Ln ₈ core is described as a triangulated dodecahedron with ₃-OH groups capping the 12 faces. A ₄-O atom centers the cluster with close contacts to four Ln atoms in an approximate tetrahedral arrangement. Pertinent crystallographic data are: Compound 1, monoclinic, , a= 14.410(3) Å, b = 24.439(5) Å, c = 28.927(6) Å, = 101.05(3)°, V = 9998(3) ų, T = 106(2) K, Z = 4; Compound 2, orthorhombic, , a = 17.049(9) Å, b = 24.68(1) Å, c = 45.03(2)Å, V = 18,945(16) ų, T = 153(2) K, Z = 8; Compound 3, monoclinic, C _2h ⁵ -P2₁/c, a =18.728(l) Å, b = 29.263( 1) Å, c = 20.548(1) Å, = 90.144(1)°, V = 11,261(1) ų, T = 153(2) K, Z = 4.     

Chalcogenide Exchange Reaction of [RGa(μ3-Te)]4 with Elemental Sulfur and Selenium: A Density Functional Theory Study

Thermodynamic and mechanistic features of the chalcogen exchange reaction between [RGa( ₃-Te)]₄ and elemental sulfur or selenium have been studied employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the BL3YP basis set and Stuttgart pseudopotentials. For [MeGa( ₃-E)]₄ (E=S, Se, Te) the correlation between the calculated parameters and diffraction data for their isolable analogs is greater than 98%. Each step of the conversion of [MeGa( ₃-Te)]₄ to [MeGa( ₃-E)]₄ via [Me₄Ga₄( ₃-Te)_4–x ( ₃-E) _x ] (E=S, Se) is predicted to occur as a series of isolated reactions. The entropy change for each chalcogen exchange is small in magnitude and corresponds to the degree of cage distortion within the cubane molecules. Calculations performed on [MeGa( ₃-Te)]₄...S₈ and [MeGa( ₃-Te)]₄-S suggest that an increase in electrophilicity of the gallium next to a surface bound tellurium may result in nucleophilic cage opening for which intermediate structures are calculated.     

Triiron and Triruthenium Carbonyl Clusters Bearing Bridging Long Chain Diphosphine and Capping Chalcogenido Ligands

Treatment of Ru₃(CO)₁₂ with dpphSe₂ (dpph = 1,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)hexane) in refluxing toluene in the presence of Me₃NO afforded two new compounds, Ru₃(CO)₇(-CO)(₃-Se)(-dpph) (1) and Ru₃(CO)₇(₃-Se)₂(-dpph) (2). A similar reaction of Ru₃(CO)₁₂ with dpppeSe₂ (dpppe = 1,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)pentane) gave exclusively Ru₃(CO)₇(₃-Se)₂(-dpppe) (3). Treatment of Ru₃(CO)₁₂ with dpphS₂ and dpppeS₂ at 110°C in the presence of Me₃NO afforded Ru₃(CO)₇(₃-S)₂(-dpph) (4) and Ru₃(CO)₇(₃-S)₂(-dpppe) (5), respectively. Reactions of Fe₃(CO)₁₂ with dpphSe₂ and dpppeSe₂, under identical conditions, afforded Fe₃(CO)₇(₃-Se)₂(-dpph) (6) and Fe₃(CO)₇(₃-Se)₂(-dpppe) (7), respectively. Compounds 1–7 were characterized spectroscopically and the molecular structures of compounds 1–4 were determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The core of 1 contains an equilateral triangle of ruthenium atoms with one capping selenium, one bridging dpph, one doubly bridging carbonyl and seven terminal carbonyl ligands. Complexes 2–4 have a square-pyramidal structure with two metal and two chalcogenide atoms alternating in the basal plane and the third metal atom at the apex of the pyramid, and belong to the family of well-known nido clusters with seven skeletal electron pairs.     

Temperature Dependence of 1H Paramagnetic Chemical Shifts in Actinide Complexes,Beyond Bleaney's Theory: The AnVIO22+–Dipicolinic Acid Complexes (An=Np,Pu) as an Example

Actinide +VI complexes ( = , and ) with dipicolinic acid derivatives were synthesized and characterized by powder XRD, SQUID magnetometry and NMR spectroscopy. In addition, and complexes were described by first principles CAS based and two-component spin-restricted DFT methods. The analysis of the ¹H paramagnetic NMR chemical shifts for all protons of the ligands according to the X-rays structures shows that the Fermi contact contribution is negligible in agreement with spin density determined by unrestricted DFT. The magnetic susceptibility tensor is determined by combining SQUID, pNMR shifts and Evans’ method. The SO-RASPT2 results fit well the experimental magnetic susceptibility and pNMR chemical shifts. The role of the counterions in the solid phase is pointed out; their presence impacts the magnetic properties of the complex. The temperature dependence of the pNMR chemical shifts has a strong contribution, contrarily to Bleaney's theory for lanthanide complexes. The fitting of the temperature dependence of the pNMR chemical shifts and SQUID magnetic susceptibility by a two-Kramers-doublet model for the complex and a non-Kramers-doublet model for the complex allows for the experimental evaluation of energy gaps and magnetic moments of the paramagnetic center.     

Rational Design of a Uranyl Metal–Organic Framework for the Capture and Colorimetric Detection of Organic Dyes

A new uranyl containing metal–organic framework, RPL-1 : [(UO₂)₂(C₂₈H₁₈O₈)] ^. H₂O (RPL for Radiochemical Processing Laboratory), was prepared, structurally characterized, and the solid-state photoluminescence properties explored. Single crystal X-ray diffraction data reveals the structure of RPL - 1 consists of two crystallographically unique three dimensional, interpenetrating nets with a 4,3-connected tbo topology. Each net contains large pores with an average width of 22.8 Å and is formed from monomeric, hexagonal bipyramidal uranyl nodes that are linked via 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene (TCPB) ligands. The thermal and photophysical properties of RPL-1 were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis and absorbance, fluorescence, and lifetime spectroscopies. The material displays excellent thermal stability and temperature dependent uranyl and TCPB luminescence. The framework is stable in aqueous media and due to the large void space (constituting 76 % of the unit cell by volume) can sequester organic dyes, the uptake of which induces a visible change to the color of the material.     

Reaction of Ni2+ and SnS as a Way to Form Ni@SnS and Sn2Ni3S2 Nanocrystals: Control of Product Formation and Shape

Reductive diffusion of Ni²⁺ into SnS particles was shown to selectively form Sn₂Ni₃S₂, hybrid, or even core‐shell Ni@SnS, Ni_1.523Sn, and Ni₃S₂, by tuning the reaction conditions at low temperatures. The mechanism of Ni²⁺ reduction and diffusion into SnS was observed in ethylene glycol, which served both as solvent and reducing agent. Tuning of reaction temperature and duration, morphology of the template SnS, and the application of ethylenediamine as supporting chelating agent, influence the formation of the final products. Their formation was controlled by carefully adjusting redox and equilibrium reactions. The products were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analysis (EDX).     

Synthesis and Systematic Structural Analysis of Cationic Half-Sandwich Ruthenium Chalcogenocarbonyl Complexes

Although the chemistry of transition-metal complexes with carbonyl (CO) and thiocarbonyl (CS) ligands has been well developed, their heavier analogues, namely selenocarbonyl (CSe) and tellurocarbonyl (CTe) complexes remain scarce. The limited availability of such CSe and CTe complexes has so far hampered our understanding of the differences between such chalcogenocarbonyl (CE: E=O, S, Se, Te) ligands. Herein, we report the synthesis and properties of a series of cationic half-sandwich ruthenium CE complexes of the type [CpRu(CE)(H₂IMes)(CNCH₂Ts)][BAr^F₄] (Cp=η⁵-C₅H₅⁻; H₂IMes=1,3-dimesitylimidazolin-2-ylidene; Ar^F=3,5-(CF₃)₂C₆H₃). A combination of X-ray diffraction analyses, NMR spectroscopic analyses, and DFT calculations revealed an increasing π-accepting ability of the CE ligands in the order O<S<Se<Te. A variable-temperature NMR analysis of the thus obtained chiral-at-metal CE complexes indicated high stereochemical stability.