Extreme Ultraviolet Reflection Spectroscopy of Lanthanides and Actinides Using a High Harmonic Generation Light Source.

Absorption spectroscopy probing transitions from shallow-core d and f orbitals in lanthanides and actinides reveals information about bonding and the electronic structure in compounds containing these elements. However, spectroscopy in this photon energy range is challenging because of the limited availability of light sources and extremely short penetration depths. In this work, we address these challenges using a tabletop extreme ultraviolet (XUV), ultrafast, laser-driven, high harmonic generation light source, which generates femtosecond pulses in the 40-140 eV range. We present reflection spectroscopy measurements at the N4,5 (i.e., predominantly 4d to 5f transitions) and O4,5 (i.e., 5d to 5f transitions) absorption edges on several lanthanide and uranium oxide crystals. We compare these results to density functional theory calculations to assign the electronic transitions and predict the spectra for other lanthanides. This work paves the way for laboratory-scale XUV absorption experiments for studying crystalline and molecular f-electron systems, with applications ranging from surface chemistry, photochemistry, and electronic or chemical structure determination to nuclear forensics.

Superoxide Radicals in Uranyl Peroxide Solids: Lasting Signatures Identified by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

U(VI) peroxide phases (studtite and meta-studtite) are found throughout the nuclear fuel cycle and exist as corrosion products in high radiation fields. Peroxides are part of a family of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that include hydroperoxyl and superoxide species and are produced during alpha radiolysis of water. While U(VI) peroxides have been thoroughly investigated, the incorporation and stability of ROS species within studtite have not been validated. In the current study, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used to identify the presence of free radicals within a series of U(VI) peroxide samples containing depleted, highly enriched, and natural uranium. Density functional theory calculations indicated that the predicted EPR signals matched well with a superoxide (O2 -⋅) species incorporated into the studtite structure, confirming the presence of ROS in the material. Further analysis of samples that were synthesized between 1945 and 2023 indicated that there is a correlation between the radical signal and the product of specific activity multiplied by age of the sample.

Protonation and Non-Innocent Ligand Behavior in Pyranopterin Dithiolene Molybdenum Complexes.

The complex [TEA][Tp*MoIV(O)(S2BMOPP)] (1) [TEA = tetraethylammonium, Tp* = tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)hydroborate, and BMOPP = 6-(3-butynyl-2-methyl-2-ol)-2-pivaloyl pterin] is a structural analogue of the molybdenum cofactor common to all pyranopterin molybdenum enzymes because it possesses a pyranopterin-ene-1,2-dithiolate ligand (S2BMOPP) that exists primarily in the ring-closed pyrano structure as a resonance hybrid of ene-dithiolate and thione-thiolate forms. Compound 1, the protonated [Tp*MoIV(O)(S2BMOPP-H)] (1-H) and one-electron-oxidized [Tp*MoV(O)(S2BMOPP)] [1-Mo(5+)] species have been studied using a combination of electrochemistry, electronic absorption, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Additional insight into the nature of these molecules has been derived from electronic structure computations. Differences in dithiolene C-S bond lengths correlate with relative contributions from both ene-dithiolate and thione-thiolate resonance structures. Upon protonation of 1 to form 1-H, large spectroscopic changes are observed with transitions assigned as Mo(xy) → pyranopterin metal-to-ligand charge transfer and dithiolene → pyranopterin intraligand charge transfer, respectively, and this underscores a dramatic change in electronic structure between 1 and 1-H. The changes in electronic structure that occur upon protonation of 1 are also reflected in a large >300 mV increase in the Mo(V/IV) redox potential for 1-H, resulting from the greater thione-thiolate resonance contribution and decreased charge donation that stabilize the Mo(IV) state in 1-H with respect to one-electron oxidation. EPR spin Hamiltonian parameters for one-electron-oxidized 1-Mo(5+) and uncyclized [Tp*MoV(O)(S2BDMPP)] [3-Mo(5+)] [BDMPP = 6-(3-butynyl-2,2-dimethyl)-2-pivaloyl pterin] are very similar to each other and to those of [Tp*MoVO(bdt)] (bdt = 1,2-ene-dithiolate). This indicates that the dithiolate form of the ligand dominates at the Mo(V) level, consistent with the demand for greater S → Mo charge donation and a corresponding increase in Mo-S covalency as the oxidation state of the metal is increased. Protonation of 1 represents a simple reaction that models how the transfer of a proton from neighboring acidic amino acid residues to the Mo cofactor at a nitrogen atom within the pyranopterin dithiolene (PDT) ligand in pyranopterin molybdenum enzymes can impact the electronic structure of the Mo-PDT unit. This work also illustrates how pyran ring-chain tautomerization drives changes in resonance contributions to the dithiolene chelate and may adjust the reduction potential of the Mo ion.