Oxidation Studies of Dipositive Actinide Ions, An2+ (An = Th, U, Np, Pu, Am) in the Gas Phase: Synthesis and Characterization of the Isolated Uranyl, Neptunyl, and Plutonyl Ions UO₂2+(g), NpO₂2+(g), and PuO₂2+(g)

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Abstract

Reactions of atomic and ligated dipositive actinide ions, An2+, AnO2+, AnOH2+, and AnO2(2+) (An = Th, U, Np, Pu, Am) were systematically studied by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Kinetics were measured for reactions with the oxidants, N2O, C2H4O (ethylene oxide), H2O, O2, CO2, NO, and CH2O. Each of the five An2+ ions reacted with one or more of these oxidants to produce AnO2+, and reacted with H2O to produce AnOH2+. The measured pseudo-first-order reaction rate constants, k, revealed disparate reaction efficiencies, k/k(COL): Th2+ was generally the most reactive and Am2+ the least. Whereas each oxidant reacted with Th2+ to give ThO2+, only C2H4O oxidized Am2+ to AmO2+. The other An2+ exhibited intermediate reactivities. Based on the oxidation reactions, bond energies and formation enthalpies were derived for the AnO2+, as were second ionization energies for the monoxides, IE[AnO+]. The bare dipositive actinyl ions, UO2(2+), NpO2(2+), and PuO2(2+), were produced from the oxidation of the corresponding AnO2+ by N2O, and by O2 in the cases of UO2+ and NpO2+. Thermodynamic properties were derived for these three actinyls, including enthalpies of formation and electron affinities. It is concluded that bare UO2(2+), NpO2(2+), and PuO2(2+) are thermodynamically stable toward Coulomb dissociation to [AnO+ + O+] or [An+ + O2+]. It is predicted that bare AmO2(2+) is thermodynamically stable. In accord with the expected instability of Th(VI), ThO(2+) was not oxidized to ThO2(2+) by any of the seven oxidants. The gas-phase results are compared with the aqueous thermochemistry. Hydration enthalpies were derived here for uranyl and plutonyl; our deltaH(hyd)[UO2(2+)] is substantially more negative than the previously reported value, but is essentially the same as our deltaH(hyd)[PuO2(2+)].

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