Actinides, electron configurations

Introduction 1235 Relative energies of actinide electronic configurations 1236... 

Table 3. Electronic Configurations for Gaseous Atoms of Lanthanide and Actinide Elements...

Thorium [7440-29-1], a naturally occurring radioactive element, atomic number 90, atomic mass 232.0381, is the second element of the actinide ( f) series (see Actinides AND transactinides Radioisotopes). Discovered in 1828 in a Norwegian mineral, thorium was first isolated in its oxide form. For the light actinide elements in the first half of the. series, there is a small energy difference between and 5/ 6d7 electronic configurations. Atomic spectra... 

Uranium is the fourth element of the actinide (SJ series. In the actinide series the electrons are more effectively shielded by the Is and 7p electrons relative to the 4f electrons (shielded by 6s, 6p) in the lanthanide (4p series. Thus, there is a greater spatial extension of 5f orbitals for actinides than 4f orbitals for lanthanides. This results in a small energy difference between and 5/ 6d7s electronic configurations, and a wider range of oxidation states is... 

There is no single best form of the periodic table since the choice depends on the purpose for which the table is used. Some forms emphasize chemical relations and valence, whereas others stress the electronic configuration of the elements or the dependence of the periods on the shells and subshells of the atomic structure. The most convenient form for our purpose is the so-called long form with separate panels for the lanthanide and actinide elements (see inside front cover). There has been a lively debate during the past decade as to the best numbering system to be used for the individual... 

THE ELECTRON CONFIGURATIONS OF GASEOUS ACTINIDE AND LANTHANIDE ATOMS... 

Most of the U-series nuclides are metals. Five of them belong to the actinide family corresponding to the filling of the internal orbitals while the orbitals 7s are filled. A sixth, Ra is an alkali earth and shares some chemical properties with other alkali earths, particularly the heavier ones (Sr and Ba), while a seventh, Rn, is a noble gas. The filling of the orbitals prescribes the possible oxidation states of these elements. Their preferred oxidation state is obtained when the electronic configuration is that of the closest rare gas (Rn). 

Table B.l summarizes the ground-state electron configuration and formal APH indices (turn number t, angular number l-n) for each known element, together with atomic number (Z) and relative atomic mass). As shown by the asterisks in the Anal column, 20 elements exhibit anomalous electron configurations (including two that are doubly anomalous - Pd and Th), compared with idealized t/l-n APH descriptors. These are particularly concentrated in the first d-block series, as well as among the early actinides. Such anomalies are indicative of configurational near-degeneracies that may require sophisticated multi-reference approximation methods for accurate description.

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