Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of IR Spectra and Electronic Structures of the U(OH)2, UO2(OH), and UO2(OH)2 Molecules

Catalyst-Free Extraction of U(VI) in Solution by Tribocatalysis

Extraction of U(VI) in water is of great significance in energy and environmental fields. However, the traditional methods usually fail due to the indispensable extra addition of catalyst, adsorbent, precipitant, or sacrificial agents, which may lead to enhanced extraction costs and secondary pollution. Here, a new efficient uranium extraction strategy is proposed based on triboelectricity without adding a catalyst or other additives. It is found only under the friction between the microbubbles (generated under ultrasonication) and the water flow, that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can largely be generated, which thus contributes to the solidification of U(VI) from water. In addition, the magnetic field can affect the phase of the product. Under mechanical stirring, the product contains (UO2)O2·2H2O, while which contains UO2(OH)2 and (UO2)O2·4H2O under the magnetic stirring. Quenching experiments are also carried out to explore the influence of environmental factors. Most importantly, it shows great potential in the extraction of U(VI) from seawater. This work proposes a catalyst-free and light-free strategy toward the solidification of U(VI) from water, which avoids the secondary pollution of the catalyst to the environment and is low-cost, and has great potential in the real application.

Molecular Models of Atomically Dispersed Uranium at MoS2 Surfaces Reveal Cooperative Mechanism of Water Reduction

Single atoms of uranium supported on molybdenum sulfide surfaces (U@MoS2) have been recently demonstrated to facilitate the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) through electrocatalysis. Theoretical calculations have predicted uranium hydroxide moieties bound to edge-sulfur atoms of MoS2 as a proposed transition state involved in the HER process. However, the isolation of relevant intermediates involved in this process remains a challenge, rendering mechanistic hypotheses unverified. The present work describes the isolation and characterization of a uranium-hydroxide intermediate on molybdenum sulfide surfaces using [(Cp*3Mo3S4)UCp*], a molecular model of a reduced uranium center supported at MoS2. Mechanistic investigations highlight the metalloligand cooperativity with uranium involved in the water activation pathway. The corresponding uranium-oxo analogue, [(Cp*3Mo3S4)Cp*U(═O)], was also accessed from the hydroxide cluster via hydrogen atom transfer and from [(Cp*3Mo3S4)UCp*] through an alternative direct oxygen atom transfer. These results provide an atomistic perspective on the reactivity of low-valent uranium at molybdenum sulfide surfaces toward water, modeling key intermediates associated with the HER of U@MoS2 catalysts.

Reaction of Laser-Ablated Uranium and Thorium Atoms with H2Se: A Rare Example of Selenium Multiple Bonding

The compounds H2ThSe and H2USe were synthesized by the reaction of laser-ablated actinide metal atoms with H2Se under cryogenic conditions following the procedures used to synthesize H2AnX (An = Th, U; X = O, S). The molecules were characterized by infrared spectra in an argon matrix with the aid of deuterium substitution and electronic structure calculations at the density functional theory level. The main products, H2ThSe and H2USe, are shown to have a highly polarized actinide-selenium triple bond, as found for H2AnS on the basis of electronic structure calculations. There is an even larger back-bonding of the Se with the An than found for the corresponding sulfur compounds. These molecules are of special interest as rare examples of multiple bonding of selenium to a metal, particularly an actinide metal.

Structural and spectroscopic characterization of a thiosemicarbazidatodioxouranium(VI) complex: a combined experimental and DFT study

The title thiosemicarbazidatodioxouranium(VI) compound was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies. Solid-state structure of the compound was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Besides, the molecular geometry, vibrational frequencies and gauge-independent atomic orbital (GIAO) (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shift values of the compound in the ground state have been calculated using the density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP) method with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set for the C, H, Cl, N, O, S atoms and SDD pseudo-potential for the U atom, and compared with the experimental data. Using the TD-DFT method, electronic absorption spectra of the compound have been predicted at same level. As a result, a good agreement is obtained between the experimental and theoretical ones.

Theoretical study of the microhydration of mononuclear and dinuclear uranium(VI) species derived from solvolysis of uranyl nitrate in water

The structures and energetics of mononuclear and dinuclear uranium species formed upon speciation of uranyl(VI) nitrate, UO(2)(NO(3))(2), in water are investigated by quantum chemistry using density functional theory and the wavefunction-based methods (MP2, CCSD, CCSD(T)). We provide a discussion of the basic coordination patterns of the various mono- and dinuclear uranyl compounds [(UO(2))(m)(X,Y)(2m-1)(H2O)(n)](+) (m = 1, 2; n = 0-4) found in a recent mass spectrometric study (Tsierkezos et al., Inorg Chem 2009, 48, 6287). The energetics of the complexation of the uranyl dication to the counterions OH(-) and NO(3) (-) as well as the degradation of the dinuclear species were studied by reference to a test set of 16 representative molecules with the MP2 method and the B3LYP, M06, M06-HF, and M06-2X DFT functionals. All DFT functionals provide structures and energetics close to MP2 results, with M06 family being slightly superior to the standard B3LYP functional.

Infrared Spectrum and Bonding in Uranium Methylidene Dihydride, CH2UH2

Uranium atoms activate methane upon ultraviolet excitation to form the methyl uranium hydride CH3-UH, which undergoes alpha-H transfer to produce uranium methylidene dihydride, CH2=UH2. This rearrangement most likely occurs on an excited-quintet potential-energy surface and is followed by relaxation in the argon matrix. These simple U+CH4 reaction products are identified through isotopic substitution (13CH4, CD4, CH2D2) and density functional theory frequency and structure calculations for the strong U-H stretching modes. Relativistic multiconfiguration (CASSCF/CASPT2) calculations substantiate the agostic distorted C1 ground-state structure for the triplet CH2=UH2 molecule. We find that uranium atoms are less reactive in methane activation than thorium atoms. Our calculations show that the CH2=UH2 complex is distorted more than CH2=ThH2. A favorable interaction between the low energy open-shell U(5f) sigma orbital and the agostic hydrogen contributes to the distortion in the uranium methylidene complexes.

Contrasting Products in the Reactions of Cr, Mo, and W Atoms with H2O2: Argon Matrix Infrared Spectra and Theoretical Calculations

Products in the reactions of H2O2 and H2, O2 mixtures have been observed by matrix infrared absorptions and identified through comparisons with vibrational frequencies calculated for these molecules. The chromium reactions are dominated by lower oxidation state products, whereas molybdenum and tungsten chemistry favors higher oxidation state products. For example chromium dihydroxide, Cr(OH)2, molybdenum hydride oxide, H2MoO2, and tungsten hydride oxide, H2WO2, were observed in laser-ablated metal atom reactions with H2O2, and calculations show that these are the most stable molecules for this stoichiometry. Chromium monohydroxide, CrOH, was identified through O-H and Cr-O stretching modes, while HWO was observed by W-H and W=O stretching modes. The metal oxyhydroxides, HMO(OH), were observed for all metals. However, reactions with two H2O2 molecules give OCr(OH)2, MoO2(OH)2, and WO2(OH)2. The relative stabilities of different structures for Cr, Mo, and W are due to different participations of occupied d orbitals. The reactivity of the cold metal atoms with H2O2 on annealing the solid argon matrix increases on going down the group.