Synthesis and hydrolysis of gas-phase lanthanide and actinide oxide nitrate complexes: a correspondence to trivalent metal ion redox potentials and ionization energies.

Several lanthanide and actinide tetranitrate ions, M(III)(NO3)4(-), were produced by electrospray ionization and subjected to collision induced dissociation in quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometers. The nature of the MO(NO3)3(-) products that result from NO2 elimination was evaluated by measuring the relative hydrolysis rates under thermalized conditions. Based on the experimental results it is inferred that the hydrolysis rates relate to the intrinsic stability of the M(IV) oxidation states, which correlate with both the solution IV/III reduction potentials and the fourth ionization energies. Density functional theory computations of the energetics of hydrolysis and atoms-in-molecules bonding analysis of representative oxide and hydroxide nitrates substantiate the interpretations. The results allow differentiation between those MO(NO3)3(-) that comprise an O(2-) ligand with oxidation to M(IV) and those that comprise a radical O(-) ligand with retention of the M(III) oxidation state. In the particular cases of MO(NO3)3(-) for M = Pr, Nd and Tb it is proposed that the oxidation states are intermediate between M(III) and M(IV).

Synthesis and structures of plutonyl nitrate complexes: is plutonium heptavalent in PuO3(NO3)2(-) ?

Gas-phase plutonium nitrate anion complexes were produced by electrospray ionization (ESI) of a plutonium nitrate solution. The ESI mass spectrum included species with all four of the common oxidation states of plutonium: Pu(III), Pu(IV), Pu(V), and Pu(VI). Plutonium nitrate complexes were isolated in a quadrupole ion trap and subjected to collision-induced dissociation (CID). CID of complexes of the general formula PuOx(NO3)y(-) resulted in the elimination of NO2 to produce PuOx+1(NO3)y-1(-), which in most cases corresponds to an increase in the oxidation state of plutonium. Plutonyl species, Pu(V)O2(NO3)2(-) and Pu(VI)O2(NO3)3(-), were produced from Pu(III)(NO3)4(-) and Pu(IV)(NO3)5(-), respectively, by the elimination of two NO2 molecules. CID of Pu(VI)O2(NO3)3(-) resulted in NO2 elimination to yield PuO3(NO3)2(-), in which the oxidation state of plutonium could be VII, a known oxidation state in condensed phase but not yet in the gas phase. Density functional theory confirmed the nature of Pu(V)O2(NO3)2(-) and Pu(VI)O2(NO3)3(-) as plutonyl(V/VI) cores coordinated by bidentate equatorial nitrate ligands. The computed structure of PuO3(NO3)2(-) is essentially a plutonyl(VI) core, Pu(VI)O2(2+), coordinated in the equatorial plane by two nitrate ligands and one radical oxygen atom. The computations indicate that in the ground spin-orbit free state of PuO3(NO3)2(-), the unpaired electron of the oxygen atom is antiferromagnetically coupled to the spin-triplet state of the plutonyl core. The results indicate that Pu(VII) is not a readily accessible oxidation state in the gas phase, despite that it is stable in solution and solids, but rather that a Pu(VI)-O· bonding configuration is favored, in which an oxygen radical is involved.

Dissociation of gas-phase bimetallic clusters as a probe of charge densities: the effective charge of uranyl.

Complementary experimental and computational methods for evaluating relative charge densities of metal cations in gas-phase clusters are presented. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) and/or density functional theory computations were performed on anion clusters of composition MM'A(m+n+1)(-), where the two metal ions have formal charge states M(m+) and M'(n+) and A is an anion, NO3(-), Cl(-), or F(-) in this work. Results for alkaline earth and lanthanide metal ions reveal that cluster CID generally preferentially produces MA(m+1)(-) and neutral M'An if the surface charge density of M is greater than that of M': the metal ion with the higher charge density takes the extra anion. Computed dissociation energies corroborate that dissociation occurs via the lowest energy process. CID of clusters in which one of the two metal ions is uranyl, UO2(2+), shows that the effective charge density of U in uranyl is greater than that of alkaline earths and comparable to that of the late trivalent lanthanides; this is in accord with previous solution results for uranyl, from which an effective charge of 3.2+ was derived.

Proton transfer in Th(IV) hydrate clusters: a link to hydrolysis of Th(OH)(2)(2+) to Th(OH)(3)(+) in aqueous solution.

Gas-phase reactions of thorium hydroxide cations with water were studied in an ion trap and by density functional theory. The Th(OH)(2)(2+) ion adds five inner-shell water molecules. Addition of outer-shell water molecules to produce the Th(OH)(2)(2+)·(H(2)O)(6-8) yields Th(OH)(3)(+)·(H(2)O)(0-3) by intracluster proton transfer and elimination of a protonated water cluster, (H(3)O)(+)(H(2)O)(2). Facile hydrolysis of Th(IV) in these small hydrate clusters correlates with solution hydrolysis of Th(OH)(2)(2+)(aq) to Th(OH)(3)(+)(aq). The Th(OH)(3)(+) ion adds up to three inner-shell water molecules. For the other studied Th(IV) singly charged ions, ThO(OH)(+) exothermically hydrolyzes directly to Th(OH)(3)(+) by addition of a water molecule, ThO(O(2))(+) hydrolyzes to Th(OH)(3)(+) via nonthermalized Th(OH)(2)(O(2))(+), and Th(OH)(2)(O(2))(+) hydrolyzes to Th(OH)(3)(+)·(H(2)O) by a sequence that requires exothermic hydration prior to hydrolysis. Computed structures and energetics are in accord with the experimental observations.

Circularly polarized luminescence of curium: a new characterization of the 5f actinide complexes.

A key distinction between the lanthanide (4f) and the actinide (5f) transition elements is the increased role of f-orbital covalent bonding in the latter. Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is an uncommon but powerful spectroscopy which probes the electronic structure of chiral, luminescent complexes or molecules. While there are many examples of CPL spectra for the lanthanides, this report is the first for an actinide. Two chiral, octadentate chelating ligands based on orthoamide phenol (IAM) were used to complex curium(III). While the radioactivity kept the amount of material limited to micromole amounts, spectra of the highly luminescent complexes showed significant emission peak shifts between the different complexes, consistent with ligand field effects previously observed in luminescence spectra.

Gas-phase lanthanide chloride clusters: relationships among ESI abundances and DFT structures and energetics.

Anionic lanthanide chloride clusters, Ln(n)Cl(3n+1)(-), were produced by electrospray ionization (ESI) of LnCl(3) in isopropanol, where Ln = La-Lu (except Pm); the clusters were characterized using a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. High-abundance "magic number" clusters were apparent at n = 4 for the early Ln (La-Sm), and at n = 5 for the late Ln (Dy-Lu). Density functional theory computations of La(n)Cl(3n+1)(-) and Lu(n)Cl(3n+1)(-) clusters (n = 1-6) indicate that the clusters with n = 4-6 are rings with a central chlorine atom. Computed structures show six-coordinate Ln in distorted octahedral sites in "magic number" La(4)Cl(13)(-) and Lu(5)Cl(16)(-), which have particularly large dissociation energies. For lanthanum, larger anionic chloride clusters with multiple charges of down to -5 were observed; their fragmentation by collision-induced dissociation in the ion trap revealed La(4)Cl(13)(-) as a common product. Gas-phase hydrolysis to Ln(n)Cl(3n+1-y)(OH)(y)(-) (y = 1, 2) was prevalent for the late lanthanides, but only for small clusters, n = 2 or 3; larger clusters were evidently resistant to gas-phase hydrolysis. ESI of selected LnBr(3) and LnI(3) resulted in Ln(n)X(3n+1)(-) clusters (X = Br, I)--in contrast to Ln(n)Cl(3n+1)(-) clusters, the only observed (minor) high-abundance clusters were La(4)Br(13)(-) and Ce(4)Br(13)(-).

Gas-phase coordination complexes of U(VI)O2(2+), Np(VI)O2(2+), and Pu(VI)O2(2+) with dimethylformamide.

Electrospray ionization of actinyl perchlorate solutions in H(2)O with 5% by volume of dimethylformamide (DMF) produced the isolatable gas-phase complexes, [An(VI)O(2)(DMF)(3)(H(2)O)](2+) and [An(VI)O(2)(DMF)(4)](2+), where An = U, Np, and Pu. Collision-induced dissociation confirmed the composition of the dipositive coordination complexes, and produced doubly- and singly-charged fragment ions. The fragmentation products reveal differences in underlying chemistries of uranyl, neptunyl, and plutonyl, including the lower stability of Np(VI) and Pu(VI) compared with U(VI).

Gas-phase coordination complexes of dipositive plutonyl, PuO2(2+): chemical diversity across the actinyl series.

We report the first transmission of solvent-coordinated dipositive plutonyl ion, Pu(VI)O(2)(2+), from solution to the gas phase by electrospray ionization (ESI) of plutonyl solutions in water/acetone and water/acetonitrile. ESI of plutonyl and uranyl solutions produced the isolable gas-phase complexes, [An(VI)O(2)(CH(3)COCH(3))(4,5,6)](2+), [An(VI)O(2)(CH(3)COCH(3))(3)(H(2)O)](2+), and [An(VI)O(2)(CH(3)CN)(4)](2+); additional complex compositions were observed for uranyl. In accord with relative actinyl stabilities, U(VI)O(2)(2+) > Pu(VI)O(2)(2+) > Np(VI)O(2)(2+), the yields of plutonyl complexes were about an order of magnitude less than those of uranyl, and dipositive neptunyl complexes were not observed. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the dipositive coordination complexes in a quadrupole ion trap produced doubly- and singly-charged fragment ions; the fragmentation products reveal differences in underlying chemistries of plutonyl and uranyl, including the lower stability of Pu(VI) as compared with U(VI). Particularly notable was the distinctive CID fragment ion, [Pu(IV)(OH)(3)](+) from [Pu(VI)O(2)(CH(3)COCH(3))(6)](2+), where the plutonyl structure has been disrupted and the tetravalent plutonium hydroxide produced; this process was not observed for uranyl.

Electron transfer dissociation of dipositive uranyl and plutonyl coordination complexes.

Reported here is a comparison of electron transfer dissociation (ETD) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) of solvent-coordinated dipositive uranyl and plutonyl ions generated by electrospray ionization. Fundamental differences between the ETD and CID processes are apparent, as are differences between the intrinsic chemistries of uranyl and plutonyl. Reduction of both charge and oxidation state, which is inherent in ETD activation of [An(VI) O(2) (CH(3) COCH(3) )(4) ](2+) , [An(VI) O(2) (CH(3) CN)(4) ](2) , [U(VI) O(2) (CH(3) COCH(3) )(5) ](2+) and [U(VI) O(2) (CH(3) CN)(5) ](2+) (An = U or Pu), is accompanied by ligand loss. Resulting low-coordinate uranyl(V) complexes add O(2) , whereas plutonyl(V) complexes do not. In contrast, CID of the same complexes generates predominantly doubly-charged products through loss of coordinating ligands. Singly-charged CID products of [U(VI) O(2) (CH(3) COCH(3) )(4,5) ](2+) , [U(VI) O(2) (CH(3) CN)(4,5) ](2+) and [Pu(VI) O(2) (CH(3) CN)(4) ](2+) retain the hexavalent metal oxidation state with the addition of hydroxide or acetone enolate anion ligands. However, CID of [Pu(VI) O(2) (CH(3) COCH(3) )(4) ](2+) generates monopositive plutonyl(V) complexes, reflecting relatively more facile reduction of Pu(VI) to Pu(V).

Photofragmentation pathways and photodeposition of nanoparticles from a gas phase copper-containing precursor.

Pulsed laser excitation of bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)copper(II) (Cu(TMHD)(2)) in the gas phase produced neutral gaseous copper atoms and nanoparticulate copper deposits on substrates. Copper atoms were formed by the complete dissociation of the ligands from the metal. Time of flight mass spectrometry and resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization spectroscopy were used to study the details of this reaction and led to the discovery of other gaseous fragments that were produced by incomplete fragmentation of the ligands including monoligated species and coordinated ligand fragments. Laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition resulted in monodispersed nanoparticles under 100 nm in diameter. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays were used to determine the elemental composition of the deposit. The relationships between the photofragmentation pathways and the deposited particles are discussed.