Open AccessAn Ion Exchange Study of Possible Hydridized 5f Bonding in theActinides
Author(s) -
R.M. Diamond,
K. Street Jr.,
G.T. Seaborg
Publication year - 1951
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/915052
Subject(s) - curium , americium , neptunium , chemistry , actinide , lanthanide , inorganic chemistry , radiochemistry , lanthanum , protactinium , ion exchange , ionic radius , thorium , nuclear chemistry , uranium , plutonium , ion , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
A study has been made of the elution behavior of curium(III), americium(III), plutonium(III), actinium(III), plutonium(IV), neptunium(IV), uraniuM(IV), thorium(IV), neptunium(V), plutonium (VI), uranium (VI), lanthanum(III), cerium(III), europium(III), ytterbium(III), ytterium(III), strontium(II), barium(II), radium(II), cesium(I) with 3.2 M, 6.2 M, 9.3 M, and 12.2 M HCl solutions from Dowex-50 cation exchange resin columns. These elutions show that in high concentrations of hydrochloric acid the actinides form complex ions with chloride ion to a much greater extent than the lanthanides. The strengths of the tripositive actinide complex ions apparently go in the order plutonium > americium> curium, although their ionic radii also decrease in this same order. To explain these results, a partial covalent character may be ascribed to the bonding in the transuranium complex ions. It is shown that a reasonable structure for such covalent bonding involves hybridization of the 5f orbitals in the actinide elements