Epidermal keratinocytes regulate hyaluronan metabolism via extracellularly secreted hyaluronidase 1 and hyaluronan synthase 3.

Hyaluronan (HA) is a high-molecular-weight (HMW) glycosaminoglycan, which is a fundamental component of the extracellular matrix that is involved in a variety of biological processes. We previously showed that the HYBID/KIAA1199/CEMIP axis plays a key role in the depolymerization of HMW-HA in normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs). However, its roles in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) remained unclear. HYBID mRNA expression in NHEKs was lower than that in NHDFs, and NHEKs showed no depolymerization of extracellular HMW-HA in culture, indicating that HYBID does not contribute to extracellular HA degradation. In this study, we found that the cell-free conditioned medium of NHEKs degraded HMW-HA under weakly acidic conditions (pH 4.8). This degrading activity was abolished by HYAL1 knockdown, but not by HYAL2 knockdown. Newly synthesized HYAL1 was mainly secreted extracellularly, and the secretion of HYAL1 was increased during differentiation, suggesting that epidermal interspace HA is physiologically degraded by HYAL1 according to pH decrease during stratum corneum formation. In HA synthesis, HAS3 knockdown reduced HA production by NHEKs, and interferon-γ-dependent HA synthesis was correlated to increased HAS3 expression. Furthermore, HA production was increased by TMEM2 knockdown through enhanced HAS3 expression. These results indicate that NHEKs regulate HA metabolism via HYAL1 and HAS3, and TMEM2 is a regulator of HAS3-dependent HA production.

Electron correlation effects on uranium isotope fractionation in U(VI)-U(VI) and U(IV)-U(VI) equilibrium isotopic exchange systems.

Uranium isotope fractionation has been extensively investigated in the fields of nuclear engineering and geochemical studies, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study assessed isotope fractionations in U(VI)-U(VI) and U(IV)-U(VI) systems by employing various relativistic electron correlation methods to explore the effect of electron correlation and to realize accurate calculations of isotope fractionation coefficients (ε). The nuclear volume term, ln Knv, the major term in ε, was estimated using the exact two-component relativistic Hamiltonian in conjunction with either HF, DFT(B3LYP), MP2, CCSD, CCSD(T), FSCCSD, CASPT2, or RASPT2 approaches for small molecular models with high symmetry. In contrast, chemical species studied in prior experimental work had moderate sizes and were asymmetrical. In such cases, electron correlation calculations other than DFT calculations were not possible and so only the HF and B3LYP approaches were employed. For closed-shell U(VI)-U(VI) systems, the MP2, CCSD and CCSD(T) methods yielded similar ln Knv values that were intermediate between those for the HF and B3LYP methods. Comparisons with experimental results for U(VI)-U(VI) systems showed that the B3LYP calculations gave results closer to the experimental data than the HF calculations. Because of the open-shell structure of U(IV), multireference methods involving the FSCCSD, CASPT2 and RASPT2 techniques were used for U(IV)-U(VI) systems, but these calculations exhibited instability. The average-of-configuration HF method showed better agreement with the experimental ε values for U(IV)-U(VI) systems than the B3LYP method. Overall, electron correlation improved the description of ε for the U(VI)-U(VI) systems but challenges remain with regard to open-shell U(IV) calculations because an energy accuracy of 10-6-10-7Eh is required for ln Knv calculations.

Density Functional Study on the Photopolymerization of Styrene Using Dinuclear Ru-Pd and Ir-Pd Complexes with Naphthyl-Substituted Ligands.

A density functional study was performed to investigate the mechanism of the photocatalytic reactivity of styrene polymerization using dinuclear Ru-Pd and Ir-Pd catalytic complexes. In previous experiments with these catalysts, the reactivity increased, and more polymer products were yielded compared to dimers under visible light irradiation. The best catalytic reactivity was obtained using an Ir-Pd complex containing naphthyl substituents at the phenyl ligands coordinated to Ir (Ir-Pd1). In contrast, Ir-Pd2, an isomer of Ir-Pd1, containing naphthyl substituents at the pyridine ligands, did not show good reactivity, which may be related to the stability of the excited state of the catalytic complexes. In this study, we calculated the radiative lifetimes of these catalytic complexes and Ir-Pd1 had the longest lifetime; this result was consistent with the experimental results. The longest lifetime of the Ir-Pd1 was attributed to the destabilization of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy by π*-π* interactions between the naphthyl and phenyl ligands. Further, this destabilization of the HOMO energy afforded a small energy gap between the HOMO and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, enhancing the metal-to-ligand charge transfer to the bridging ligand between Ir and Pd. Additionally, we focused on the reaction of the second insertion of styrene, which was identified as the rate-determining step of the polymerization cycle in a previous study. The singlet-triplet crossing points of the intermediates were estimated, and the barrier heights of the intersystem crossing were much lower than those in the thermal paths, which explained the efficiency of the photocatalytic reactivity in the experiment.

Topography and Permeability Analyses of Vasculature-on-a-Chip Using Scanning Probe Microscopies.

Microphysiological systems (MPS) or organs-on-chips (OoC) can emulate the physiological functions of organs in vitro and are effective tools for determining human drug responses in preclinical studies. However, the analysis of MPS has relied heavily on optical tools, resulting in difficulties in real-time and high spatial resolution imaging of the target cell functions. In this study, the role of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) as an analytical tool for MPS is evaluated. An access hole is made in a typical MPS system with stacked microchannels to insert SPM probes into the system. For the first study, a simple vascular model composed of only endothelial cells is prepared for SPM analysis. Changes in permeability and local chemical flux are quantitatively evaluated during the construction of the vascular system. The morphological changes in the endothelial cells after flow stimulation are imaged at the single-cell level for topographical analysis. Finally, the possibility of adapting the permeability and topographical analysis using SPM for the intestinal vascular system is further evaluated. It is believed that this study will pave the way for an in situ permeability assay and structural analysis of MPS using SPM.

Density Functional Study on Compounds to Accelerate the Electron Capture Decay of 7Be.

In radionuclide compounds undergoing electron capture (EC) decay, the electron density at the nucleus (ρ(0)) and half-life of the nucleus are inversely proportional. Thus, the decay can be accelerated by changing the chemical or physical conditions. A previous study reported a 1.1-1.5% reduction in the half-life of 7Be encapsulated in C60 compared with 7Be metal. However, 7Be was inserted into the fullerene using the rebound energy of the nuclear reaction, which may not be a practical method. This paper elucidates the mechanism of ρ(0) change in various Be compounds from density functional calculations and attempts to propose better systems that show faster EC decay (larger ρ(0)) and/or that are easier to generate than Be in C60. In typical Be compounds, ρ(0) decreases because Be donates electrons to other atoms through chemical bonds and, thus, is not effective. Among the various Be-encapsulated fullerenes (C20-C180), the largest increase in ρ(0) was obtained for C50 fullerene, but the magnitude was almost similar to that of C60. As new systems, we propose Be-encapsulated rare gas solids, which would be generated only by applying high pressure. An increase in ρ(0) from Be metal in the range 2-10%, which depends on the lattice constant, is obtained.

Density Functional Study of Metal-to-Ligand Charge Transfer and Hole-Hopping in Ruthenium(II) Complexes with Alkyl-Substituted Bipyridine Ligands.

In this study, we present a density functional study of four ruthenium complexes by means of UV-visible spectroscopy and Marcus theory. These molecules, [RuII(bipyP)(bipy)2] (P1), [RuII(bipyP)(dmb)2] (P2), [RuII(bipyP)(dtbb)2] (P3), and [RuII(bipyP)(dnb)2] (P4), where bipyP = 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-diphosphonic acid, bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine, dmb = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, dtbb = 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine, and dnb = 4,4'-dinonyl-2,2'-bipyridine, are photosensitizers for applications in dye-sensitized photo-electrochemical cells (DSPECs). Because of the undetermined P4 conformation in the experiment, we modeled three P4 conformers with straight (P4-straight) and bent nonyl chains (P4-bend1 and bend2). UV-vis absorption spectra by time-dependent density functional theory showed intense metal-to-ligand charge transfer to anchor bipyridine ligands (MLCT-anchoring) at 445-460 nm, which accurately reproduce experimental data. The largest light-harvesting efficiency of the MLCT-anchoring state was observed in the P4-bend1 conformer, which has the lowest P4 energy. This may relate to greater electron injection in the P4 and supports experimental results of dye-only systems (do-DSPEC). The calculated charge transfer rates agree well with the experimental trend. The largest rate was obtained for P2, which was attributed to the expansion of the highest-occupied molecular orbital toward the ancillary bipy ligands and also to the short distances between dyes on the TiO2 surface. These results also support experimental results for P2, which was the best compound for lateral hole-hopping in a sacrificial agent-containing system (sa-DSPEC).

13C and 207Pb NMR Chemical Shifts of Dirhodio- and Dilithioplumbole Complexes: A Quantum Chemical Assessment.

Density functional theory (DFT) and zeroth-order regular approximation DFT calculations were performed to investigate the electronic structures and 13C and 207Pb nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts of metal-coordinated plumboles, namely, monorhodioplumbole ([Rh-plumbole]-), dirhodioplumbole (Rh2-plumbole), and dilithioplumbole (Li2-plumbole), which have a five-membered ring containing lead. The molecular orbital correlation diagram and extended transition state-natural orbitals for chemical valence analysis of the [Rh-plumbole]- and Rh2-plumbole complexes showed that the plumbole is primarily a π-donor, with π-donation being dominant in the Rh2-plumbole complex. The present calculations show that the Pb-Cα internuclear distances are longer in the Rh2-plumbole complex than in [Rh-plumbole]- because of the combined effect of strong π-donation and weak π-back-donation in the Rh2-plumbole complex. The calculated 207Pb and 13Cα NMR chemical shifts agree with the experimental trends reasonably well. The influences of the relativistic effect, role of the functional, effect of the solvent, and dependence of the exact exchange admixture on the calculated 207Pb and 13Cα NMR chemical shifts were investigated. The NMR chemical shift trend of the 207Pb atom in the complexes originates from the paramagnetic and spin-orbit contributions. NMR component analysis revealed that the upfield shift of the 13Cα atoms of the [Rh-plumbole]- and Rh2-plumbole complexes compared to that of the Li2-plumbole complex is mainly due to the decrease in the paramagnetic term.

Factors influencing the photoelectrochemical device performance sensitized by ruthenium polypyridyl dyes.

The dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells (DSPECs) incorporating a family of ruthenium complexes [RuII(bipyP)(bipy)2] (P1), [RuII(bipyP)(dmb)2] (P2), [RuII(bipyP)(dtbb)2] (P3) and [RuII(bipyP)(dnb)2] (P4), where bipyP = 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-diphosphonic acid, bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine, dmb = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, dtbb = 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine, and dnb = 4,4'-dinonyl-2,2'-bipyridine, were fabricated in a dye-only system (do-DSPEC) and in a system where the electrolyte solution was loaded with EDTA sacrificial agent (sa-DSPEC). The increasing number of the alkyl chains of the ancillary bipy ligand shifts the ground- and excited-state potentials to the more negative values, although the introduction of the longer nonyl chain in P4 shows the opposite effect. In do-DSPECs, the photocurrent and hydrogen production performance follows the order P4 > P3 > P2 > P1, which correlates well with the degree of the excited-state quenching by electron injection to the conduction band of TiO2. The photoelectrochemistry of the sa-DSPECs reveals 10 times as many photocurrents as that measured in do-DSPECs, suggesting the ability of the hole to oxidize EDTA molecule. The hydrogen production performance of sa-DSPECs over five hours follows the order P2 > P1 > P3 > P4, which is consistent with the RuIII/RuII reorganization energies and the hole mobility on the TiO2 surface. The present study provides evidence that the subtle alkyl chain variation of the ruthenium photosensitizers can fine tune the electron injection capacity, RuIII/RuII self-exchange energetics and photostability of the complexes, which significantly influence the performance of the DSPECs.

Heavy Element Effects in the Diagonal Born-Oppenheimer Correction within a Relativistic Spin-Free Hamiltonian.

Methodologies beyond the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation are nowadays important to explain high precision spectroscopic measurements. Most previous evaluations of the BO correction are, however, focused on light-element molecules and based on a nonrelativistic Hamiltonian, so no information about the BO approximation (BOA) breakdown in heavy-element molecules is available. The present work is the first to investigate the BOA breakdown for the entire periodic table, by considering scalar relativistic effects in the Diagonal BO correction (DBOC). In closed shell atoms, the relativistic EDBOC scales as Z(1.25) and the nonrelativistic EDBOC scales as Z(1.17), where Z is the atomic number. Hence, we found that EDBOC becomes larger in heavy element atoms and molecules, and the relativistic EDBOC increases faster than nonrelativistic EDBOC. We have further investigated the DBOC effects on properties such as potential energy curves, spectroscopic parameters, and various energetic properties. The DBOC effects for these properties are mostly affected by the lightest atom in the molecule. Hence, in X2 or XAt molecule (X = H, Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) the effect of DBOC systematically decreases when X becomes heavier but in HX molecules, the effect of DBOC seems relatively similar among all the molecules.

An ab initio study of nuclear volume effects for isotope fractionations using two-component relativistic methods.

We investigate the accuracy of two-component Douglas-Kroll-Hess (DKH) methods in calculations of the nuclear volume term (≡ lnK(nv)) in the isotope fractionation coefficient. lnK(nv) is a main term in the chemical equilibrium constant for isotope exchange reactions in heavy element. Previous work based on the four-component method reasonably reproduced experimental lnK(nv) values of uranium isotope exchange. In this work, we compared uranium reaction lnK(nv) values obtained from the two-component and four-component methods. We find that both higher-order relativistic interactions and spin-orbit interactions are essential for quantitative description of lnK(nv). The best alternative is the infinite-order Douglas-Kroll-Hess method with infinite-order spin-orbit interactions for the one-electron term and atomic-mean-field spin-same-orbit interaction for the two-electron term (IODKH-IOSO-MFSO). This approach provides almost equivalent results for the four-component method, while being 30 times faster. The IODKH-IOSO-MFSO methodology should pave the way toward computing larger and more general molecules beyond the four-component method limits.

Dipole polarizability of alkali-metal (Na, K, Rb)-alkaline-earth-metal (Ca, Sr) polar molecules: prospects for alignment.

Electronic open-shell ground-state properties of selected alkali-metal-alkaline-earth-metal polar molecules are investigated. We determine potential energy curves of the (2)Σ(+) ground state at the coupled-cluster singles and doubles with partial triples (CCSD(T)) level of electron correlation. Calculated spectroscopic constants for the isotopes ((23)Na, (39)K, (85)Rb)-((40)Ca, (88)Sr) are compared with available theoretical and experimental results. The variation of the permanent dipole moment (PDM), average dipole polarizability, and polarizability anisotropy with internuclear distance is determined using finite-field perturbation theory at the CCSD(T) level. Owing to moderate PDM (KCa: 1.67 D, RbCa: 1.75 D, KSr: 1.27 D, RbSr: 1.41 D) and large polarizability anisotropy (KCa: 566 a.u., RbCa: 604 a.u., KSr: 574 a.u., RbSr: 615 a.u.), KCa, RbCa, KSr, and RbSr are potential candidates for alignment and orientation in combined intense laser and external static electric fields.

Quantum-chemical analyses of aromaticity, UV spectra, and NMR chemical shifts in plumbacyclopentadienylidenes stabilized by Lewis bases.

We carried out a series of zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA)-density functional theory (DFT) and ZORA-time-dependent (TD)-DFT calculations for molecular geometries, NMR chemical shifts, nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS), and electronic transition energies of plumbacyclopentadienylidenes stabilized by several Lewis bases, (Ph)2 ((t) BuMe2 Si)2 C4 PbL1 L2 (L1, L2 = tetrahydrofuran, Pyridine, N-heterocyclic carbene), and their model molecules. We mainly discussed the Lewis-base effect on the aromaticity of these complexes. The NICS was used to examine the aromaticity. The NICS values showed that the aromaticity of these complexes increases when the donation from the Lewis bases to Pb becomes large. This trend seems to be reasonable when the 4n-Huckel rule is applied to the fractional π-electron number. The calculated (13)C- and (207)Pb-NMR chemical shifts and the calculated UV transition energies reasonably reproduced the experimental trends. We found a specific relationship between the (13)C-NMR chemical shifts and the transition energies. As we expected, the relativistic effect was essential to reproduce a trend not only in the (207)Pb-NMR chemical shifts and J[Pb-C] but also in the (13)C-NMR chemical shifts of carbons adjacent to the lead atom.

Synthesis, structure, and reactivity of Lewis base stabilized plumbacyclopentadienylidenes.

Plumbacyclopentadienylidenes, in which the lead atoms have divalent states and are coordinated by THF, pyridine and N-heterocyclic carbene, were synthesized and characterized. The THF- and pyridine-stabilized compounds can be regarded as rare examples of hypervalent 10-X-4 species. The equilibrium between the THF adduct and the free plumbacyclopentadienylidene was evidenced by spectroscopic analysis and theoretical calculations. The THF adduct in benzene converted into a plumbylene dimer, where one of the lead centers is coordinated by THF and the other lead atom is coordinated by a divalent lead atom, the dimer gradually decomposing into spiroplumbole. The THF adduct unexpectedly reacted with trifluoroborane and trichlorogallane to afford fluoroborole and chlorogallole, which are the first examples of non-annulated fluoroborole and gallole, respectively.

Ab initio study of ground and excited states of 6Li40Ca and 6Li88Sr molecules.

We present quantum-chemical calculations for the ground and some low-lying excited states of isolated LiCa and LiSr molecules using multi-state complete active space second-order perturbation theory (MS-CASPT2). The potential energy curves (PECs) and their corresponding spectroscopic constants, obtained at the spin-free (SF) and spin-orbit (SO) levels, agree well with available experimental values. Our SO-MS-CASPT2 calculation at the atomic limit (R = 100 a.u.) with the largest basis set reproduces experimental atomic excitation energies within 3% for both LiCa and LiSr. In addition, permanent dipole moments and transition dipole moments at the SF level are also obtained. Rovibrational calculations of the ground and selected excited states, together with the spontaneous emission rates, demonstrate that the formation of ultracold LiCa and LiSr molecules in low-lying vibrational levels of the electronic ground state may be possible.

Relativistic calculations of ground and excited states of LiYb molecule for ultracold photoassociation spectroscopy studies.

We report a series of quantum-chemical calculations for the ground and some of the low-lying excited states of an isolated LiYb molecule by the spin-orbit multistate complete active space second-order perturbation theory (SO-MS-CASPT2). Potential energy curves, spectroscopic constants, and transition dipole moments (TDMs) at both spin-free and spin-orbit levels are obtained. Large spin-orbit effects especially in the TDMs of the molecular states dissociating to Yb((3)P(0,1,2)) excited states are found. To ensure the reliability of our calculations, we test five types of incremental basis sets and study their effect on the equilibrium distance and dissociation energy of the ground state. We also compare CASPT2 and CCSD(T) results for the ground state spectroscopic constants at the spin-free relativistic level. The discrepancies between the CASPT2 and CCSD(T) results are only 0.01 Å in equilibrium bond distance (R(e)) and 200 cm(-1) in dissociation energy (D(e)). Our CASPT2 calculation in the supermolecular state (R=100 a.u.) with the largest basis set reproduces experimental atomic excitation energies within 3% error. Transition dipole moments of the super molecular state (R=100 a.u.) dissociating to Li((2)P) excited states are quite close to experimental atomic TDMs as compared to the Yb((3)P) and Yb((1)P) excited states. The information obtained from this work would be useful for ultracold photoassociation experiments on LiYb.

Ligand effect on uranium isotope fractionations caused by nuclear volume effects: An ab initio relativistic molecular orbital study.

We have calculated the nuclear volume term (ln K(nv)) of the isotope fractionation coefficient (epsilon) between (235)U-(238)U isotope pairs by considering the effect of ligand coordination in a U(IV)-U(VI) reaction system. The reactants were modeled as [UO(2)Cl(3)](-) and [UO(2)Cl(4)](2-) for U(VI), and UCl(4) for U(IV). We adopted the Dirac-Coulomb Hartree-Fock method with the Gaussian-type finite nucleus model. The result obtained was ln K(nv)=0.001 90 at 308 K, while the experimentally estimated value of ln K(nv) is 0.002 24. We also discuss how the ligand affects the value of ln K(nv), especially for the various structures of different compounds, and different ligands within the halogen ion series (F, Cl, and Br).

Experimental and theoretical investigation of isotope fractionation of zinc between aqua, chloro, and macrocyclic complexes.

This work reports on the chemical isotope fractionation of Zn(II) by a solvent extraction method with the crown ether dicyclohexano-18-crown-6. The (m)Zn/(64)Zn ratios (m = 66, 67, and 68) were analyzed by multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The relative deviations of the (66)Zn/(64)Zn ratios relative to the unprocessed material (delta(66)Zn) was determined to be -0.51 to -0.32 in the acidity region 1.0-6.0 mol dm(-3) (M) HCl. The acidity dependence of delta(m)Zn was explained by the isotope exchange reactions between Zn(II) species (Zn(2+), ZnCl(+), ZnCl(2), ZnCl(3)(-), and ZnCl(4)(2-)) and the mole fractions of them. The magnitude of delta(m)Zn due to the related Zn(II) species estimated by quantum chemical calculations was in agreement with delta(m)Zn experimentally obtained. Contribution of nuclear field shift to the isotope fractionation was estimated to be less than 10% of delta(m)Zn by quantum chemical calculations.

Mass-dependent and mass-independent isotope effects of zinc in a redox reaction.

We report the isotope fractionation of zinc (Zn) associated with a redox reaction between Zn(0) and Zn(II). Zn isotopes were found fractionated in pyrometallurgical biphase extraction between liquid zinc and molten chloride. The isotopic composition of Zn in the molten chloride phase was analyzed by multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and reported as (m)Zn/64Zn (m = 66, 67, and 68) ratios. The observed isotope fractionation consists of the mass-dependent and mass-independent isotope effects. The contributions of the nuclear mass and the nuclear volume to the overall isotope effect were evaluated by employing first-principles quantum calculations and using reported isotope shifts in atomic spectra. The magnitude of the mass-dependent isotope effect was explained by the sum of the isotope effect via intramolecular vibrations and the correction to the Born-Oppenheimer electronic energy. The mass-independent isotope effect was correlated with the Gibbs free energy change in the redox reaction.

An ab initio molecular orbital study of the nuclear volume effects in uranium isotope fractionations.

This paper discusses the nuclear volume dependence of uranium isotope fractionations in the U(3+)-U(4+) and U(4+)-UO(2) (2+) systems by reference to a series of ab initio molecular orbital calculations. Nuclear volume-dependent terms ( identical withln K(nv)) in isotope fractionation coefficients ( identical withepsilon) are calculated from the energetic balance of the isotopomers involved in the systems. We used the Dirac-Coulomb Hartree-Fock (DCHF) method with the Gaussian-type finite-nucleus model. We employed three types of generally contracted Gaussian basis sets to check the basis set dependences. In the U(3+)-U(4+) system, the present values of ln K(nv) for uranium, other than those with the smallest double-zeta basis set, are in good agreement with previous values of ln K(nv) obtained from a numerical atomic multiconfigurational DCHF method with the Fermi-type finite-nucleus model. The present calculations reasonably reproduce the experimental value of epsilon in the U(3+)-U(4+) system, and the value of ln K(nv) in the U(4+)-UO(2) (2+) system, obtained empirically by temperature-dependent fitting of the experimental epsilon values. For instance, in the U(4+)-UO(2) (2+) system, the present ab initio ln K(nv) value for a (235)U-(238)U isotope pair is 0.002 09 using the largest basis set, while the experimental value is 0.002 24. This paper also shows that nuclear volume effects are negligibly small on the U-O bond length and two force constants of UO(2) (2+). Hence, the molecular vibrational terms of the isotope fractionation coefficients mainly depend on the nuclear mass rather than the nuclear volume.

An ab initio study based on a finite nucleus model for isotope fractionation in the U(III)-U(IV) exchange reaction system.

Isotope fractionation in the U(III)-U(IV) reaction system was investigated by a series of atomic relativistic ab initio calculations using the multiconfigurational Dirac-Coulomb Hartree-Fock method. To evaluate the nuclear volume effect on the fractionation, the Fermi statistical distribution function was adopted for nuclear charge density. The isotope fractionation coefficient epsilon resulting from the nuclear volume difference was evaluated from the total electronic energies of U3+ and U4+, based on the theoretical equation proposed by Bigeleisen [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118, 3676 (1996)]. The calculated fractionation coefficient epsilon in the present work for the isotopic pair 235U and 238U at 293 K is 0.0031, which is quite close to the experimentally observed value of 0.0027. Discussion is extended to the nuclear volume effects on isotopic fractionations in the Pu(III)-Pu(IV) and Eu(II)-Eu(III) exchange systems.