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Cho, Herman M.

Publications and source records attributed to Cho, Herman M..

Analyze the Composition of Materials Through the Use of Characterization Instruments - CRADA 621 (Abstract)

The purpose of this project is to conduct collaborative research involving the analysis of the composition of materials using characterization instruments. The materials will be synthesized in the Nuclear Chemistry Facility in Fulmer Hall and analyzed using instruments both at WSU and PNNL. This research requires the use of several characterization instruments, namely a Biotage SEL-2SW Flash Chromatograph, a Jasco UV-Visible Near-IR V-770 spectrometer, and a Jasco FT/IT-6700 Research Spectrometer, in the Nuclear Chemistry Facility of the WSU-PNNL Nuclear Science and Technology Institute (NSTI) in Fulmer Hall on the WSU Pullman campus.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Electric field gradients at rubidium sites in rubidium uranyl nitrate and quadrupole moments of 85 Rb and 87 Rb

The electronic structure along the axial direction of the uranyl ion in rubidium uranyl nitrate (RbUO 2 (NO 3 ) 3 ) has been studied by nuclear quadrupole resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements of 85 Rb and 87 Rb quadrupole couplings. Here, the parameter of interest in these experiments is the electric field gradient at the Rb sites, which may be compared with values com- puted by various theoretical approaches. From this analysis an accurate ratio of the quadrupole moments of 85 Rb and 87 Rb has also been obtained.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Probing f-orbital covalency through the fold angles of transuranium dithiolene complexes

The ability of the actinide elements to covalently bond to ligands is not well understood. A computational effort for compounds of the formula [Cp 2 AnS 2 C 2 H 2 ] -1,0,+1 where An = U, Np, or Pu has shown that the angle between the plane formed by the two sulfurs and the plane formed by the two sulfur atoms and the two carbons converges to 70 – 75° when the ligand is in the dithiolate state (-2 charge on the ligand). Upon oxidation of [Cp 2 NpS 2 C 2 H 2 ] 0 or [Cp 2 PuS 2 C 2 H 2 ] 0 the electron is removed from the dithiolate rather than the actinide and the dihedral angle is reduced to planarity. The reaction of NpCl 4 DME 2 with deprotonated benzene dithiol shows an intense color change suggestive of a charge transfer complex. The binding of the benzene dithiol as the dithiolate to the neptunium metal center is supported by visible, infrared and NMR spectroscopies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Measurement of Local Magnetic Fields in Actinide Tetrafluorides

Fluorine-19 magnetic shielding tensors have been measured in a series of actinide tetrafluorides (AnF4) by solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Tetravalent actinide centers with 0 to 8 valence electrons can form tetrafluorides with the same unit cell, making these compounds an attractive choice for a systematic study of the variation in electronic structure across the 5f row of the Periodic Table. Pronounced deviations from predictions based on localized valence electron models have been detected by these experiments, which suggests that this approach may be used as a quantitative probe of electronic correlations.

Walter, Eric D.↗

Isotope-Specific Analysis of Neutron-Irradiated Lithium Aluminate Ceramics by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

The effects of neutron irradiation on lithium aluminate targets and the permeation of tritium into surrounding components are primary concerns in the development of materials for use in tritium production. The high specific activity and volatility of the tritium in activated samples greatly increase the challenges of experimental analysis. This paper reports the determination of the chemical forms and quantities of H-3 and Li-6 in irradiated and non-irradiated LiAlO2 by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and demonstrates that measurements can be performed in a non-destructive, safe manner to obtain isotope-selective, quantitative information on highly hazardous materials.

Tritium, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance sp↗

Probing the Electronic Structure of a Thorium Nitride Complex by Solid-State 15N NMR Spectroscopy

The solid-state 15N NMR powder spectra of the thorium nitride complex, [K(18-crown-6)(THF)2][(R2N)3Th(m-15N)(Th(NR2)3] ([K][1-15N], R = SiMe3), and the thorium amide complex, [Th(NR2)3(15NH2)] (2-15N) were recorded. The spectrum for [K][1-15N] represents the first reported solid-state 15N NMR data for an actinide nitride complex. The experimentally measured tensor spans are 847 ppm for [K][1-15N] and 237 ppm for 2-15N. Both shielding tensors exhibit a near-zero asymmetry parameter, which for [K][1-15N] is consistent with a local rotational symmetry of its 15N-labelled nitride ligand. For 2-15N, the lack of asymmetry can be rationalized by a quasi-free Th-NH2 bond rotation in the solid-state. DFT calculations overestimate the tensor span somewhat for [K][1-15N], but provide isotropic shifts in good agreement with both the solid-state and solution values for both complexes. Natural localized molecular orbital (NLMO) analyses of the nuclear shielding reveal that the larger tensor span in [K][1-15N] vs. 2-15N is primarily a consequence of more pronounced covalency of the N-Th bonds, and large spin-orbit coupling due to significant Th 5f orbital contribution to those bonds, impacting the principal components of the shielding tensor perpendicular to the Th-N-Th axis. Overall, our analysis confirms the involvement of the 5f orbitals in Th-N multiple bonds, and further demonstrates the value of solid-state NMR spectroscopy for interrogating actinide-ligand bonding.

actinides, covalent bonding, Nuclear Magnetic Reso↗