Influence of hydrogen bonding on the structure of the (001) corundum-water interface. Density functional theory calculations and Monte Carlo simulations.

Density functional theory calculations and classical Monte Carlo simulations are applied to study the behavior of water in contact with a hydroxylated corundum (001) surface. Using DFT with periodic boundary conditions at T = 0 K, we systematically study the influence of the number of water molecules on the surface geometry and on the structure of the contact water layer. Only little effect of the thickness of the water layer on the geometry of the surface hydroxyl groups is observed. On the other hand, the molecules in the second layer have strong influence on the arrangement of water molecules in direct contact with the solid surface. In order to mimic macroscopic systems at room temperature, we perform inhomogeneous MC simulations of model corundum surface in contact with the water phase modeled by SPC/E model. The water molecules are classified according to their hydrogen-bonded partners into several groups. It is found that the preferential orientation of interfacial water molecules is primarily determined by the type of their hydrogen bonding. The hydroxyl groups at the corundum surface can serve as hydrogen bond donor or acceptor, depending on their orientation. No surface hydroxyls are found to coordinate two water molecules at the same time. On the other hand, water molecules coordinated by two different surface groups appear in MC simulations.

Complexation of Cm(III) with fluoride in aqueous solution in the temperature range from 20 to 90 °C. A joint TRLFS and quantum chemical study.

The formation of hydrated CmF2+ and CmF2+ species in aqueous solutions are studied in the temperature range of 20−90 °C at different fluoride concentrations and at constant ionic strength as well as at constant fluoride concentration and different ionic strengths by means of time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS). The molar fractions of the Cm3+ aqua ion, CmF2+, and CmF2+ species are determined by peak deconvolution of the emission spectra. An increase of the mono- and difluoro complexes is observed with increasing fluoride concentration and/or increasing temperature. Using the specific ion interaction theory (SIT), the thermodynamic stability constants log K10 (CmF2+) and log K20 (CmF2+) as well as the values of Δε1 and Δε2 are determined as a function of temperature. The log K10 values increase from 3.56 ± 0.07 to 3.98 ± 0.06 and the log K20 values increase from 2.20 ± 0.84 to 3.34 ± 0.21 with increasing temperature from 20 to 90 °C. The value of Δε1 determined at 25 °C is in good agreement with literature data and shows a negligible temperature dependency in the studied temperature range. The value of Δε2 also shows only a moderate variation in the studied temperature range. The thermodynamic standard state data (ΔrHm0, ΔrSm0, ΔrGm0) are determined from the temperature dependence of the equilibrium constants at Im = 0 using the integrated Van't Hoff equation. The fluorescence lifetime of the 6D'7/2(Cm3+) state is found to be constant at 63 ± 5 µs with increasing fluoride concentration. A model based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations is introduced to account for the additional quenching occurring through the near second sphere waters in the [Cm(H2O)8F]2+(H2O)18 complex.

Theoretical investigation of the water/corundum (0001) interface.

For the reliable long-term modeling of the actinide migration in geological formations, the adsorption/desorption properties and the reactivity of mineral surfaces must be understood at the molecular level. The adsorption of radioisotopes at mineral surfaces of the aquifer is an important process that leads to the retention of contaminants such as radionuclides. Their transport by the ground water is either retarded or even completely inhibited by the presence of such a surface. Accordingly, this subject is of main importance for the safety assessment of nuclear waste repositories. As part of a joint theoretical/experimental effort, the interaction of water with the corundum (0001) surface is studied using several theoretical methods (Moller-Plesset perturbation theory, coupled cluster singles doubles with triplet corrections, as well as density functional theory). We focus in this study on the determination of the bond lengths and tilt angles of the surface OH species and their respective vibrational frequencies. The theoretical results are confirmed by subsequent simulation of the interface selective nonlinear sum frequency spectra. The excellent agreement of the simulated with the experimental spectra allows an assignment of the observed peaks in the sum frequency spectra of the water/corundum (0001) interface on the basis of our theoretical data. In this theoretical study we are able to give a unique interpretation of the observed sum frequency spectra of the water/corundum (0001) interface.

Hydration of mineral surfaces probed at the molecular level.

By employing the nonlinear optical, interface selective experiment of sum frequency spectroscopy together with independent ab initio and density functional theory calculations, we determine the functional species of a corundum (001) surface: doubly coordinated OH groups which differ in their bond tilt angles. The interaction of the functional species with the adjacent water molecules is also observed. In a large pH range around the point of zero charge, the interaction is not controlled electrostatically but by hydrogen bonding. The functional species' tilt angles are crucial parameters, determining whether the species act as hydrogen bond donors or acceptors.

Sorption of Am(III) onto 6-line-ferrihydrite and its alteration products: investigations by EXAFS.

For the long-term performance assessment of nuclear waste repositories, knowledge about the interactions of actinide ions with mineral surfaces such as iron oxides is imperative. The mobility of released radionuclides is strongly dependent on the sorption/desorption processes at these surfaces and on their incorporation into the mineral structure. In this study the interaction of Am(III) with 6-line-ferrihydrite (6LFh) was investigated by EXAFS spectroscopy. At low pH values (pH 5.5), as well at higher pH values (pH 8.0), Am(III) sorbs as a bidentate corner-sharing species onto the surface. Investigations of the interaction of Am(III) with Fh coated silica colloids prove the sorption onto the iron coating and not onto the silica substrate. Hence, the presence of Fh, even as sediment coating, is the dominant sorption surface. Upon heating, Fh is transformed into goethite and hematite as shown by TEM and IR measurements. The results of the fit to the EXAFS data indicate the release of sorbed Am(III) at pH 5.5 during the transformation and likely a partial incorporation of Am into the Fh transformation products at pH 8.0.

Large ground-state and excited-state crystal field splitting of 8-fold-coordinate Cm3+ in [Y(H2O)8]Cl3.15-crown-5.

The optical spectra of Cm(3+) incorporated into the crystalline host structure of [Y(H(2)O)(8)]Cl(3).15-crown-5 (1) is investigated by using laser spectroscopic methods at temperatures between 20 and 293 K. The coordination geometry of the [Y(H(2)O)(8)](3+) entity in 1 is a distorted bicapped trigonal prism with approximately C(2) point symmetry, as confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 200 K. The crystal-field splitting of the (8)S'(7/2) ground state and the (6)D'(7/2) and (6)P'(5/2) excited states of the hydrated Cm(3+) ion are measured by high-resolution fluorescence emission and excitation spectroscopy at various temperatures. The transitions between the ground state and the respective lowest crystal-field levels of the excited states exhibit narrow fluorescence lines, resolving the four crystal-field levels of the ground state as sharp, well-resolved lines at about 0, 10, 19, and 35 cm(-1). The total splittings of the (6)D'(7/2) and (6)P'(5/2) states are 670 and 170 cm(-1), respectively. Thermal population of the ground-state crystal-field levels is observed and quantified in the excitation spectra in the temperature range of 20-70 K. All spectroscopic results are consistent with the presence of one unique [Cm(H(2)O)(8)](3+) site. The ground-state splitting of Cm(3+) in 1, 35 cm(-1), is comparable to that of Cm(3+) in solid ThO(2), 36 cm(-1), which shows the strongest crystal field for Cm(3+) reported so far. For this reason the present results are different than the findings for Ln(3+) aqua ions, which show rather weak crystal field strengths.

Hydration of Cm3+ in aqueous solution from 20 to 200 degrees C. A time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy study.

Time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) is used to study the hydration of the Cm3+ ion in acidified (0.1 M perchloric acid) H2O and D2O from 20 to 200 degrees C. Strong temperature dependency is found for several of the spectroscopic quantities associated with the 6D'(7/2) --> 8S'(7/2) photoemission spectra, with similar relative changes in both solvents. The emission band shifts to lower energy with increasing temperature, which is attributed to an equilibrium between hydrated Cm3+ ions with different numbers of water molecules in the first coordination sphere, namely [Cm(H2O)9]3+ and [Cm(H2O)8]3+. Comparison with crystalline reference compounds and the analysis of hot bands corroborates the assignment of these species. The molar fraction of the octahydrated species increases from approximately 10% at room temperature to approximately 40% at 200 degrees C, indicating an entropy driven reaction. The corresponding thermodynamic parameters are obtained as Delta H degrees = + 13.1 +/- 0.4 kJ mol(-1), Delta S degrees = + 25.4 +/- 1.2 J mol(-1) K(-1), and Delta G298 = + 5.5 +/- 0.6 kJ mol(-1). Both the emission intensity and lifetime decrease with increasing temperature. The temperature dependency of the nonradiative decay rate of the emitting 6D'(7/2) level follows an Arrhenius equation with the activation energy 26.5 kJ mol(-1) (2250 cm(-1)) in both H2O and D2O, which is somewhat lower than the energy gap between 6D'(7/2) and 6P'(5/2) exited state levels.

Aqueous solutions of uranium(VI) as studied by time-resolved emission spectroscopy: a round-robin test.

Results of an inter-laboratory round-robin study of the application of time-resolved emission spectroscopy (TRES) to the speciation of uranium(VI) in aqueous media are presented. The round-robin study involved 13 independent laboratories, using various instrumentation and data analysis methods. Samples were prepared based on appropriate speciation diagrams and, in general, were found to be chemically stable for at least six months. Four different types of aqueous uranyl solutions were studied: (1) acidic medium where UO2(2+)aq is the single emitting species, (2) uranyl in the presence of fluoride ions, (3) uranyl in the presence of sulfate ions, and (4) uranyl in aqueous solutions at different pH, promoting the formation of hydrolyzed species. Results between the laboratories are compared in terms of the number of decay components, luminescence lifetimes, and spectral band positions. The successes and limitations of TRES in uranyl analysis and speciation in aqueous solutions are discussed.