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

Valence Bond Theory

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

Tetrahedral Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...

Coordination Number and Geometry

Coordination Number and Geometry

For transition metal complexes, the coordination number determines the geometry around the central metal ion. Table 1 compares coordination numbers to molecular geometry. The most common structures of the complexes in coordination compounds are octahedral, tetrahedral, and square planar.

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...

Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature

Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature

In most main group element compounds, the valence electrons of the isolated atoms combine to form chemical bonds that satisfy the octet rule. For instance, the four valence electrons of carbon overlap with electrons from four hydrogen atoms to form CH4. The one valence electron leaves sodium and adds to the seven valence electrons of chlorine to form the ionic formula unit NaCl (Figure 1a). Transition metals do not normally bond in this fashion. They primarily form coordinate covalent bonds, a...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Concise synthesis of simplified aogacillin analogs reveals innate reactivity and synergy with aminoglycosides.

Chemical science·2026

Same author

Synthesis and Reactivity of Heteroleptic U<sup>4+</sup> Alkyl, Benzyl, and Hydride Imidophosphorane Complexes.

Inorganic chemistry·2026

Same author

Investigation of metal identity on the structure and electronic properties of dinuclear Mn and Co complexes with triaryl tetradentate ligands.

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2026

Same author

Novel Competitive, Nonpeptidic, SARS-CoV‑2 M<sup>pro</sup> Inhibitors with Improved Solubility.

ACS medicinal chemistry letters·2026

Same author

Polyoxometalate-Assisted Crystallization: A General Strategy Enabling Structural Characterization of Molecular Radium Complexes.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Olefin Metathesis Catalyzed by a Latent Ruthenathiete Complex.

Organometallics·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2025

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

Published on: April 10, 2015

A tetrahedral neptunium(V) complex.

Julie E Niklas¹, Kaitlyn S Otte¹, Chad M Studvick²

¹School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Nature Chemistry

|May 6, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers report a novel tetrahedral neptunium(V) complex, challenging previous understanding of high-valent actinide coordination. This discovery advances transuranic chemistry by revealing new bonding and reaction pathways for neptunium stabilization.

More Related Videos

Line Shape Analysis of Dynamic NMR Spectra for Characterizing Coordination Sphere Rearrangements at a Chiral Rhenium Polyhydride Complex

Line Shape Analysis of Dynamic NMR Spectra for Characterizing Coordination Sphere Rearrangements at a Chiral Rhenium Polyhydride Complex

Published on: July 27, 2022

Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents

Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents

Published on: May 28, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2025

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

Published on: April 10, 2015

Line Shape Analysis of Dynamic NMR Spectra for Characterizing Coordination Sphere Rearrangements at a Chiral Rhenium Polyhydride Complex

Line Shape Analysis of Dynamic NMR Spectra for Characterizing Coordination Sphere Rearrangements at a Chiral Rhenium Polyhydride Complex

Published on: July 27, 2022

Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents

Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents

Published on: May 28, 2014

Area of Science:

Inorganic Chemistry
Actinide Chemistry
Coordination Chemistry

Background:

Neptunium, an anthropogenic actinide, has less developed coordination chemistry compared to uranium.
Stabilizing high-valent neptunium typically requires metal-ligand multiple bonds, making alternative structures challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize and characterize a novel, highly coordinated neptunium(V) complex.
To investigate the bonding and stabilization mechanisms in high-valent neptunium species.
To explore proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions in transuranic complexes.

Main Methods:

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction for structural determination.
Solution-state spectroscopy for electronic and structural analysis.
Density functional theory (DFT) calculations for electronic structure and reaction pathway analysis.

Main Results:

Isolation and characterization of a tetrahedral neptunium(V) complex ([Np(NPC)4][B(ArF5)4]).
Demonstration of unique bonding interactions stabilizing the neptunium(V) ion.
Determination of thermochemical and kinetic parameters for proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET).

Conclusions:

The study reveals a fundamental reaction pathway in transuranic chemistry.
The findings challenge existing paradigms for stabilizing high-valent actinide ions.
This work opens new avenues for exploring the coordination chemistry of neptunium and other actinides.