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Extension of the Plutonium Oxide Nanocluster Family to Include {Pu 16 } and {Pu 22 }
Author(s) -
Sigmon Ginger E.,
Hixon Amy E.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201805605
Subject(s) - plutonium , nanoclusters , oxide , valence (chemistry) , hydroxide , metal , materials science , actinide , chemistry , coordination number , inorganic chemistry , radiochemistry , nanotechnology , metallurgy , ion , organic chemistry
Plutonium(IV) oxide nanoclusters represent an interesting scientific problem regarding structure‐function relationships and are also relevant to global concerns surrounding plutonium reprocessing, the remediation of plutonium‐contaminated soils, and the storage or disposal of plutonium‐containing wastes. Here we report the synthesis of five unique Pu IV oxide nanoclusters containing 38, 22, or 16 metal centers and capped only with inorganic ligands, such as chlorine and water, which prevent formation of the extended PuO 2 structure. The products are interrogated through single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, bond valence calculations, and comparisons to other known metal‐oxide nanoclusters. Of particular interest is the incorporation of hydroxide linkages into the smaller plutonium oxide nanoclusters, which underscores previous observations and hypotheses regarding the formation of plutonium polymers and colloids.