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Frontispiece: Contemporary Chemistry of Berkelium and Californium
Author(s) -
White Frankie D.,
Dan David,
AlbrechtSchmitt Thomas E.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201984461
Subject(s) - californium , relativistic quantum chemistry , chemistry , atomic orbital , metastability , physics , chemical physics , atomic physics , quantum mechanics , neutron , electron
Our understanding of the chemistry of berkelium and californium has remained elusive because of the dearth of modern structural and spectroscopic data as well as the absence of high‐level quantum mechanical theory that captures relativistic effects. This situation has dramatically changed in recent years because of the application of modern diffraction and spectroscopic methods that are amenable to the interrogation of small samples as well as improved theoretical treatment of heavy elements that incorporate scalar relativistic effects and spin‐orbit coupling. Contemporary developments with berkelium and californium can be divided into materials with extended and molecular systems that often contain traditional and well‐understood complexants. Both types of compounds reveal striking features of these elements that include the onset of a metastable divalent state that begins at californium, the effects multi‐reference ground states on physical properties induced by spin‐orbit orbital mixing, the roles of a host of frontier orbitals in forming chemical bonds. For more information see the Minireview by Thomas E. Albrecht‐Schmitt et al. on page 10251 ff.