MOLECULAR SPECTROSCPY AND REACTIONS OF ACTINIDES IN THE GAS PHASE AND CRYOGENIC MATRICES

In this chapter we review the spectroscopic data for actinide molecules and the reaction dynamics for atomic and molecular actinides that have been examined in the gas phase or in inert cryogenic matrices. The motivation for this type of investigation is that physical properties and reactions can be studied in the absence of external perturbations (gas phase) or under minimally perturbing conditions (cryogenic matrices). This information can be compared directly with the results from high-level theoretical models. The interplay between experiment and theory is critically important for advancing our understanding of actinide chemistry. For example, elucidation of the role of the 5f electrons in bonding and reactivity can only be achieved through the application of experimentally verified theoretical models. Theoretical calculations for the actinides are challenging due the large numbers of electrons that must be treated explicitly and the presence of strong relativistic effects. This topic has been reviewed in depth in Chapter 17 of this series. One of the goals of the experimental work described in this chapter has been to provide benchmark data that can be used to evaluate both empirical and ab initio theoretical models. While gas-phase data are the most suitable for comparison with theoretical calculations, there are technical difficulties entailed in generating workable densities of gas-phase actinide molecules that have limited the range of species that have been characterized. Many of the compounds of interest are refractory, and problems associated with the use of high temperature vapors have complicated measurements of spectra, ionization energies, and reactions. One approach that has proved to be especially valuable in overcoming this difficulty has been the use of pulsed laser ablation to generate plumes of vapor from refractory actinide-containing materials. The vapor is entrained in an inert gas, which can be used to cool the actinide species to room temperature or below. For many spectroscopic measurements, low temperatures have been achieved by co-condensing the actinide vapor in rare gas or inert molecule host matrices. Spectra recorded in matrices are usually considered to be minimally perturbed. Trapping the products from gas-phase reactions that occur when trace quantities of reactants are added to the inert host gas has resulted in the discovery of many new actinide species. Selected aspects of the matrix isolation data were discussed in chapter 17. In the present chapter we review the spectroscopic matrix data in terms of its relationship to gas-phase measurements, and update the description of the new reaction products found in matrices to reflect the developments that have occurred during the past two years. Spectra recorded in matrix environments are usually considered to be minimally perturbed, and this expectation is borne out for many closed shell actinide molecules. However, there is growing evidence that significant perturbations can occur for open shell molecules, resulting in geometric distortions and/or electronic state reordering. Studies of actinide reactions in the gas phase provide an opportunity to probe the relationship between electronic structure and reactivity. Much of this work has focused on the reactions of ionic species, as these may be selected and controlled using various forms of mass spectrometry. As an example of the type of insight derived from reaction studies, it has been established that the reaction barriers for An+ ions are determined by the promotion energies required to achieve the 5fn6d7s configuration. Gas-phase reaction studies also provide fundamental thermodynamic properties such as bond dissociation and ionization energies. In recent years, an increased number of gas-phase ion chemistry studies of bare (atomic) and ligated (molecular) actinide ions have appeared, in which relevant contributions to fundamental actinide chemistry have been made. These studies were initiated in the 1970's and carried out in an uninterrupted way over the course of the past three decades. Initial studies unsurprisingly focused on naturally occurring U (and Th) and were later extended (starting ten years ago) to Pa and several of the more abundant members of the transuranium series, Np through Es. The main purpose of the reaction dynamics section of this chapter is to summarize (up to late 2008) the work done in the gas phase involving ionic species, with an emphasis on the key accomplishments. This topic was recently reviewed in a comprehensive way (Gibson 2002a; Gibson and Marcalo 2006). The small number of studies reported for gas-phase reactions of neutral actinide species are also briefly summarized