Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed protons being...

Electron Configuration of Multielectron Atoms

Electron Configuration of Multielectron Atoms

The alkali metal sodium (atomic number 11) has one more electron than the neon atom. This electron must go into the lowest-energy subshell available, the 3s orbital, giving a 1s22s22p63s1 configuration. The electrons occupying the outermost shell orbital(s) (highest value of n) are called valence electrons, and those occupying the inner shell orbitals are called core electrons. Since the core electron shells correspond to noble gas electron configurations, we can abbreviate electron...

Nuclear Stability

Nuclear Stability

Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters.
To hold positively charged protons together in the...

Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fission

Many heavier elements with smaller binding energies per nucleon can decompose into more stable elements that have intermediate mass numbers and larger binding energies per nucleon—that is, mass numbers and binding energies per nucleon that are closer to the “peak” of the binding energy graph near 56. Sometimes neutrons are also produced. This decomposition of a large nucleus into smaller pieces is called fission. The breaking is rather random with the formation of a large number of different...

Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals II

Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals II

sp3d and sp3d 2 Hybridization

Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power

Controlled nuclear fission reactions are used to generate electricity. Any nuclear reactor that produces power via the fission of uranium or plutonium by bombardment with neutrons has six components: nuclear fuel consisting of fissionable material, a nuclear moderator, a neutron source, control rods, reactor coolant, and a shield and containment system.
Nuclear Fuels
Nuclear fuel consists of a fissile isotope, such as uranium-235, which must be present in sufficient quantity to provide a...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Developing Lanthanide-Nitrate Cluster Chemistry toward Rare Earth Separations.

Inorganic chemistry·2025

Same author

Alkali Counterion-Dependent Crystallization of Uranium(IV)-Chloro Structural Units.

Inorganic chemistry·2025

Same author

Isolation of a chloride-capped cerium polyoxo nanocluster built from 52 metal ions.

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)·2024

Same author

PuCl<sub>3</sub>{CoCp[OP(OEt)<sub>2</sub>]<sub>3</sub>}: transuranic elements entering the field of heterometallic molecular chemistry.

Chemical science·2024

Same author

Unlocking Arene Phosphorescence in Bismuth-Organic Materials.

Inorganic chemistry·2024

Same author

Unraveling pH-Dependent Changes in Adsorption Structure of Uranyl on Alumina (012).

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Activating Molecules, Ions, and Solid Particles with Acoustic Cavitation

Activating Molecules, Ions, and Solid Particles with Acoustic Cavitation

Published on: April 11, 2014

Plutonium(IV) cluster with a hexanuclear [Pu6(OH)4O4]12+ core.

Karah E Knope¹, L Soderholm

¹Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States. kknope@anl.gov

Inorganic Chemistry

|May 30, 2013

Summary

Researchers isolated a novel plutonium(IV) carboxylate complex, featuring a unique hexanuclear core with both hydroxo and oxo bridges. This discovery advances understanding of plutonium chemistry in aqueous solutions.

More Related Videos

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films

Published on: November 9, 2015

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)

Published on: December 29, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Activating Molecules, Ions, and Solid Particles with Acoustic Cavitation

Activating Molecules, Ions, and Solid Particles with Acoustic Cavitation

Published on: April 11, 2014

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films

Published on: November 9, 2015

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)

Published on: December 29, 2016

Area of Science:

Coordination Chemistry
Nuclear Chemistry
Materials Science

Background:

Plutonium(IV) in acidic aqueous solutions tends to form polynuclear species through hydrolysis and condensation.
Understanding the structure and behavior of these polynuclear complexes is crucial for nuclear waste management and reprocessing.
Previous research has identified various plutonium hydroxo complexes, but the co-existence of hydroxo and oxo bridges in a single polynuclear unit remained unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize and characterize a novel mixed hydroxo/oxo plutonium(IV) carboxylate complex.
To elucidate the structural features of the hexanuclear plutonium core and its surrounding ligands.
To establish the first example of a plutonium(IV) polynuclear complex incorporating both hydroxo and oxo bridging ligands.

Main Methods:

Hydrolysis and condensation of Pu(IV) in an acidic aqueous solution.
Isolation and purification of the resulting polynuclear complex.
Single-crystal X-ray diffraction for structural determination.
Spectroscopic and analytical techniques for characterization.

Main Results:

Isolation of the hexanuclear complex Li6[Pu6(OH)4O4(H2O)6(HGly)12]Cl18·10.5H2O (1).
Determination of a cationic [Pu6(OH)4O4](12+) core structure.
Observation of glycine ligands decorating the core, forming a plutonium(IV) carboxylate.
Confirmation of the presence of both hydroxo and oxo bridging ligands within the hexanuclear unit.

Conclusions:

The study successfully synthesized and structurally characterized a novel mixed hydroxo/oxo plutonium(IV) carboxylate.
This represents the first reported instance of a plutonium(IV) polynuclear complex featuring both hydroxo and oxo bridging ligands.
The findings provide significant insights into the complex speciation of plutonium in aqueous environments.