Magnetism and electron spin resonance in single crystalline beta-AgNpO2(SeO3)

We report magnetization, susceptibility, electrical transport, and electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of single crystals of beta-AgNpO2(SeO3). Here the valence of the Np sites is expected to be Np(V). We observe a magnetic transition below 8 K, where the transition temperature is dependent on the effective magnetic moment. Although the transition appears to be ferromagnetic, no hysteresis is seen in the magnetization, and the saturation moment above 0.1 T is found to be about 60% of the free NpO2 ion moment. The decrease in the Np moments determined experimentally is thought to arise from crystal field and spin-orbit effects. Although Np(V) is expected to be ESR silent, we observe temperature dependent ESR spectra at ~44 GHz (for fields above the saturation field) that show slight shifts in the g-factor and line width at low temperatures. Our results provide evidence that both Np(V) and Np(IV) valences are present, where the latter may be a minority population. The crystals, although dark in appearance, are electrically insulating (rho > 10^10 Ohm-cm) at room temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure

A measurement of the tau mass and the first CPT test with tau leptons

We measure the mass of the tau lepton to be 1775.1+-1.6(stat)+-1.0(syst.) MeV using tau pairs from Z0 decays. To test CPT invariance we compare the masses of the positively and negatively charged tau leptons. The relative mass difference is found to be smaller than 3.0 10^-3 at the 90% confidence level.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Phys. Letts.

Recent progress in actinide borate chemistry

The use of molten boric acid as a reactive flux for synthesizing actinide borates has been developed in the past two years providing access to a remarkable array of exotic materials with both unusual structures and unprecedented properties. [ThB(5)O(6)(OH)(6)][BO(OH)(2)]·2.5H(2)O possesses a cationic supertetrahedral structure and displays remarkable anion exchange properties with high selectivity for TcO(4)(-). Uranyl borates form noncentrosymmetric structures with extraordinarily rich topological relationships. Neptunium borates are often mixed-valent and yield rare examples of compounds with one metal in three different oxidation states. Plutonium borates display new coordination chemistry for trivalent actinides. Finally, americium borates show a dramatic departure from plutonium borates, and there are scant examples of families of actinides compounds that extend past plutonium to examine the bonding of later actinides. There are several grand challenges that this work addresses. The foremost of these challenges is the development of structure-property relationships in transuranium materials. A deep understanding of the materials chemistry of actinides will likely lead to the development of advanced waste forms for radionuclides present in nuclear waste that prevent their transport in the environment. This work may have also uncovered the solubility-limiting phases of actinides in some repositories, and allows for measurements on the stability of these materials

New Neptunium(V)Borates that Exhibit the Alexandrite Effect

A new neptunium(V) borate, K[(NpO(2))B(10)O(14)(OH)(4)], was synthesized using boric acid as a reactive flux. The compound possesses a layered structure in which Np(V) resides in triangular holes, creating a hexagonal-bipyramidal environment around neptunium. This compound is unusual in that it exhibits the Alexandrite effect, a property that is typically restricted to neptunium(IV) compounds

K(NpO2)3(H2O)C14: A Channel Structure Assembled by Two- and Three-Center Cation-Cation Interactions of Neptunyl Cations

A Np(V) compound containing three-center cation-cation interations, K(NpO(2))(3)(H(2)O)Cl(4), has been prepared by reacting Np(V) with KCl in molten boric acid. This compound forms a three-dimensional channel structure that is constructed from both two- and three-center cation-cation interactions. Three new bonding modes for cation-cation interactions are added to the summary of all known Np(V) compounds

Surprising Coordination for Plutonium in the First Plutonium(III) Borate

The first plutonium(III) borate, Pu(2)[B(12)O(18)(OH)(4)Br(2)(H(2)O)(3)]·0.5H(2)O, has been prepared by reacting plutonium(III) with molten boric acid under strictly anaerobic conditions. This compound contains a three-dimensional polyborate network with triangular holes that house the plutonium(III) sites. The plutonium sites in this compound are 9- and 10-coordinate and display atypical geometries

Uranyl carboxyphosponates that Incorporate Cd(II)

The hydrothermal treatment of UO3, Cd(CH3CO2)(2) center dot 2H(2)O, and triethyl phosphonoacetate results in the formation of Cd-2[(UO2)(6)(PO3CH2CO2)(3)O-3(OH)(H2O)(2)] center dot 16H(2)O (CdUPAA-1), [Cd-3(UO2)(6)(PO3CH2CO2)(6) (H2O)(13)] center dot 6H(2)O (CdUPAA-2), and Cd(H2O)(2)[(UO2)(PO3CH2CO2)(H2O)](2) (CdUPAA-3). CdUPAA-1 adopts a cubic three-dimensional structure constructed from planar uranyl oxide clusters containing both UO7 pentagonal bipyramids and UO8 hexagonal bipyramids that are linked by Cd(II) cations and phosphonoacetate to yield large cavities approximately 16 angstrom across that are filled with disordered water molecules. CdUPAA-2 forms a rhombohedral three-dimensional channel structure that is assembled from UO7 pentagonal bipyramids that are bridged by phosphonoacetate. CdUPAA-3 is layered with the hydrated Cd(II) cations incorporated directly into the layers linking one-dimensional uranyl phosphonate substructures together. In this structure, there are complex networks of hydrogen bonds that exist within the sheets, and also stitch the sheets together. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved