Identification of hexanuclear Actinide(IV) carboxylates with Thorium, Uranium and Neptunium by EXAFS spectroscopy

International audience; Hydrated actinide(IV) ions undergo hydrolysis and further polymerization and precipitation with increasing pH. The resulting amorphous and partly crystalline oxydydroxides AnO(n)(OH)(4-2n)center dot xH(2)O can usually be observed as colloids above the An(IV) solubility limit. The aging process of such colloids results in crystalline AnO(2). The presence of carboxylates in the solution prevents the occurrence of such colloids by formation of polynuclear complexes through a competing reaction between hydrolysis and ligation. The majority of recently described carboxylates reveals a hexanuclear core of [An(6)(mu(3)-O)(4)(mu(3)-OH)(4)](12+) terminated by 12 carboxylate l…