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Updated: May 29, 2026
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Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films
Published on: November 9, 2015
Neptunium thiophosphate chemistry: intermediate behavior between uranium and plutonium
Geng Bang Jin1, S Skanthakumar, Richard G Haire
1Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208-3113, United States. gjin@anl.gov
Inorganic Chemistry
|September 3, 2011
Summary
New neptunium (Np) thiophosphate compounds were synthesized and structurally characterized. Neptunium
Area of Science:
- Solid-state chemistry
- Inorganic chemistry
- Materials science
Background:
- Neptunium (Np) thiophosphate chemistry is underexplored.
- Understanding Np's coordination behavior is crucial for nuclear materials science.
Purpose of the Study:
- Synthesize and characterize novel neptunium thiophosphate compounds.
- Investigate the structural diversity and coordination environments of Np in these materials.
- Determine the oxidation states of Np in the synthesized compounds.
Main Methods:
- High-temperature solid-state reactions using Np metal, phosphorus sulfides, and alkali metal sulfides.
- Single-crystal X-ray diffraction for detailed structural determination.
- Analysis of Np-S bond distances and charge balance to infer oxidation states.
Main Results:
- Synthesis of four new Np thiophosphates: Np(PS(4)), Np(P(2)S(6))(2), K(11)Np(7)(PS(4))(13), and Rb(11)Np(7)(PS(4))(13).
- Structural characterization revealed diverse frameworks, including 3D structures, interpenetrating diamond-type frameworks, and channel structures.
- Np atoms exhibit varying coordination numbers (8 or 9) and geometries (distorted square antiprismatic, bicapped trigonal prism, tricapped trigonal prism).
- Np is inferred to be trivalent in Np(PS(4)) and tetravalent in Np(P(2)S(6))(2) and A(11)Np(7)(PS(4))(13).
Conclusions:
- Neptunium thiophosphate chemistry offers a rich structural landscape.
- Np displays coordination behavior intermediate between Uranium (U) and Plutonium (Pu) in thiophosphate systems.
- The synthesized compounds provide valuable insights into the solid-state chemistry of actinides.
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