Actinide ions, sequestering

Chloride complexation studies of the actinide ions An3+, An4+, An02, and AnO + (An = U, Np, Pu) were reported in several comprehensive reviews [293-295], More recent investigations on aqua and chloro complexes of U02+, NpOz+, Np4+, Pu3+, etc., by x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) were reported [296,297]. In particular, it was established for U(IV) and Th(IV) aqua ions and fluoride complexes that both M(IV) aqua ions are 10-coordinate with M — O bond distances for U(IV) and Th(IV) of 2.42 0.01 A and 2.45 0.01 A, respectively [297], Physical and chemical studies of uranium aqueous complexes are reported [298,299a], A series of articles is dedicated to specific sequestering agents for the actinides [299b-e],... 

Hydroxamates and their monothio and dithio analogues form chelate complexes usually. They have been much studied because hydroxamates are present in sidero-phores, the microbial iron transport systems (Section 17-E-10) and also because of their use in sequestering agents for actinide ions and in analytical studies. 

Two fundamental questions in the design of an actinide-specific sequestering agent are the coordination number and geometry actually preferred by the metal ion with a given ligand. The... 

An = Th, U, Np, and Pu. In complexing with metal ions, the / -diketones form planar six-member chelate rings with elimination of the enol proton. The simpler / -diketones, such as acetylacetone (HAA), are fairly water soluble, but form complexes that may be soluble in organic solvents. This is especially true for the An ions which form strong complexes with HAA and can be effectively sequestered to the organic phase, making HAA a potentially useful extractant (See Table 27). The four stability constants in Table 27 for tetravalent actinides imply that four HAA ligands coordinate with each metal ion in the formation of the extracted neutral ML4 complexes. ... 

The Synthesis, Thermodynamic Behavior, and Biological Properties of Metal-Ion-Specific Sequestering Agents for Iron and the Actinides... 

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