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The electron affinity (EA) is the energy change for adding an electron to a gaseous atom to form an anion (negative ion).
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In an atom, the negatively charged electrons are attracted to the positively charged nucleus. In a multielectron atom, electron-electron repulsions are also observed. The attractive and repulsive forces are dependent on the distance between the particles, as well as the sign and magnitude of the charges on the individual particles. When the charges on the particles are opposite, they attract each other. If both particles have the same charge, they repel each other.
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The difference between the calculated and experimentally measured masses is known as the mass defect of the atom. In the case of helium-4, the mass defect indicates a “loss” in mass of 4.0331 amu – 4.0026 amu = 0.0305 amu. The loss in mass accompanying the formation of an atom from protons, neutrons, and electrons is due to the conversion of that mass into energy that is evolved as the atom forms. The nuclear binding energy is the energy produced when the atoms’ nucleons...
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Nuclear chemistry is the study of reactions that involve changes in nuclear structure. The nucleus of an atom is composed of protons and, except for hydrogen, neutrons. The number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number (Z) of the element, and the sum of the number of protons and the number of neutrons is the mass number (A). Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are isotopes of the same element.
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The electron affinity of the uranium atom.

Sandra M Ciborowski1, Gaoxiang Liu1, Moritz Blankenhorn1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.

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|July 9, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Researchers measured the electron affinity of uranium using photoelectron spectroscopy and computational methods. The experimental value for uranium

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Area of Science:

  • Atomic Physics
  • Quantum Chemistry

Background:

  • Accurate determination of electron affinities is crucial for understanding atomic structure and chemical behavior.
  • Relativistic effects significantly influence the electronic properties of heavy elements like uranium and thorium.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally and computationally determine the electron affinity of the uranium atom.
  • To validate computational methods by comparing results for uranium and thorium.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental measurement using negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy of the uranium atomic anion (U-).
  • Computational calculations employing relativistic coupled-cluster and multi-reference configuration interaction methods.

Main Results:

  • Experimentally determined electron affinity of uranium: 0.309 ± 0.025 eV.
  • Computationally predicted electron affinity of uranium: 0.232 eV.
  • Calculated electron affinity of thorium (0.565 eV) showed better agreement with experimental value (0.608 eV) due to improved computational convergence.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a precise experimental value for uranium's electron affinity.
  • Discrepancies between experimental and computational values for uranium highlight the challenges in heavy element calculations.
  • Electron attachment to the 6d orbital defines the ground state for both U- and Th- anions.