Toward volatile metal complexes of rutherfordium - results of testexeriments with Zr and Hf

The chemical investigation of the transactinide elements (TAN, Z {ge}104) is a topic of great interest in recent nuclear chemistry research. The highly charged nucleus accelerates the innermost electrons to relativistic velocities thus causing contraction of spherical (s, p{sub 1/2}) orbitals and expansion of the others (p{sub 3/2}, d, and f), which directly affects the chemical behavior of these elements. Deviations from trends established in the periodic table may therefore occur due to these so-called relativistic effects [1,2]. In gas phase experiments, mostly volatile inorganic compounds (e.g., halides or oxides) of TAN were investigated. We refer to [3] for a recent review. For reasons such as low production cross-sections or short half-lives, but also technical challenges, more sophisticated chemical studies have not yet been possible. One restriction in present TAN research is the plasma behind the target caused by the intense heavy ion beam. ''Weak'' molecules (e.g., organic ligands) are immediately destroyed, thus limiting the possibilities of synthesizing chemical compounds directly behind the target to ''simple'' and robust inorganic compounds. It is highly desirable to expand the knowledge on the chemical behavior of the TAN to other compound classes, e.g., volatile metal complexes. The use of the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator (BGS) [4] as a physical preseparator makes such studies possible by separating the beam from the desired TAN isotopes

Gas chemical investigation of hafnium and zirconium complexes with hexafluoroacetylacetone using preseparated short-lived radioisotopes

Volatile metal complexes of the group 4 elements Zr and Hf with hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfa) have been studied using short-lived radioisotopes of the metals. The new technique of physical preseparation has been employed where reaction products from heavy-ion induced fusion reactions are isolated in a physical recoil separator - the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator in our work - and made available for chemistry experiments. Formation and decomposition of M(hfa)4 (M=Zr, Hf) has been observed and the interaction strength with a fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) Teflon surface has been studied. From the results of isothermal chromatography experiments, an adsorption enthalpy of -ΔHa=(57±3)kJ/mol was deduced. In optimization experiments, the time for formation of the complex and its transport to a counting setup installed outside of the irradiation cave was minimized and values of roughly one minute have been reached. The half-life of 165Hf, for which conflicting values appear in the literature, was measured to be (73.9±0.8)s. Provided that samples suitable for α-spectroscopy can be prepared, the investigation of rutherfordium (Rf), the transactinide member of group 4, appears possible. In the future, based on the studies presented here, it appears possible to investigate short-lived single atoms produced with low rates ( e.g. , transactinide isotopes) in completely new chemical systems, e.g. , as metal complexes with organic ligands as used here or as organometallic compound

Measurement of the 208Pb(52Cr, n)259Sg Excitation Function

The excitation function for the 208Pb(52Cr, n)259Sg reaction has been measured using the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 88-Inch Cyclotron. The maximum cross section of pb is observed at a center-of-target laboratory-frame energy of 253.0 MeV. In total, 25 decay chains originating from 259Sg were observed and the measured decay properties are in good agreement with previous reports. In addition, a partial excitation function for the 208Pb(52Cr, 2n)258Sg reaction was obtained, and an improved 258Sg half-life of ms was calculated by combining all available experimental data

Test of internal-conversion theory with a measurement in

We have measured the K-shell and total internal conversion coefficients for the 150.8-keV E3 transition in 111Cd: αK = 1.449(18) and αT = 2.217(26) respectively. The αK value agrees well with Dirac-Fock calculations, in which the effect of the K-shell atomic vacancy is included. It is consistent with our previous precise measurements of αK values, which cover a range of atomic numbers, and extends that range down to Z = 48. The αT measurement, however, disagrees by about two standard deviations from the calculated αT value, whether the atomic vacancy is included or not

Test of internal-conversion theory with a measurement in 111Cd

We have measured the K-shell and total internal conversion coefficients for the 150.8-keV E3 transition in 111Cd: αK = 1.449(18) and αT = 2.217(26) respectively. The αK value agrees well with Dirac-Fock calculations, in which the effect of the K-shell atomic vacancy is included. It is consistent with our previous precise measurements of αK values, which cover a range of atomic numbers, and extends that range down to Z = 48. The αT measurement, however, disagrees by about two standard deviations from the calculated αT value, whether the atomic vacancy is included or not

Excitation function for the production of 262Bh (Z = 107) in the odd-Z projectile reaction 208Pb(55Mn, n)

The excitation function for production of 262Bh in the odd-Z-projectile reaction 208Pb(55Mn,n) has been measured at three projectile energies using the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 88-Inch Cyclotron. In total, 33 decay chains originating from 262Bh and 2 decay chains originating from 261Bh were observed. The measured decay properties are in good agreement with previous reports. The maximum cross section of 540 +180 -150 pb is observed at a lab-frame center-of-target energy of 264.0 MeV and is more than fives times larger than that expected based on previously reported results for production of 262Bh in the analogous even-Z-projectile reaction 209Bi(54Cr,n). Our results indicate that the optimum beam energy in one-neutron-out heavy-ion fusion reactions can be estimated simply using the "Optimum Energy Rule" proposed by Swiatecki, Siwek-Wilczynska, and Wilczynski

Development of an odd-Z-projectile reaction for heavy element synthesis: 208Pb(64Ni, n)271Ds and 208Pb(65Cu, n)272111

Seven {sup 271}Ds decay chains were identified in the bombardment of {sup 208}Pb targets with 311.5- and 314.3-MeV {sup 64}Ni projectiles using the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator. These data, combined with previous results, provide an excitation function for this reaction. From these results, an optimum energy of 321 MeV was estimated for the production of {sup 272}111 in the reaction {sup 208}Pb({sup 65}Cu, n). One decay chain was observed, resulting in a cross section of 1.7{sub -1.4}{sup +3.9} pb. This experiment confirms the discovery of element 111 by the Darmstadt group who used the {sup 209}Bi({sup 64}Ni, n){sup 272}111 reaction

New isotope 264Sg and decay properties of 262-264Sg

New isotope, 264Sg, was identified using the 38U(30Si,xn)268-xSg reaction and excitation functions for 262-264Sg were measured. 264Sg decays by spontaneous fission with a half life of 37 +27/-11 ms. The spontaneous fission branch for 0.9-s 263Sg was measured for the first time and found to be (13+-8) percent. 262Sg decays by spontaneous fission with a 15 +5/-3 ms half-life. Spontaneous fission partial half-life systematics are evaluated for even-even Sg isotopes from 258Sg through 266Sg, spanning the transition region between the N=152, Z=100 and N=162, Z=108 deformed shells

Measurement of the 208Pb(52Cr, n)259Sg Excitation Function

The excitation function for the 208Pb(52Cr, n)259Sg reaction has been measured using the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 88-Inch Cyclotron. The maximum cross section of pb is observed at a center-of-target laboratory-frame energy of 253.0 MeV. In total, 25 decay chains originating from 259Sg were observed and the measured decay properties are in good agreement with previous reports. In addition, a partial excitation function for the 208Pb(52Cr, 2n)258Sg reaction was obtained, and an improved 258Sg half-life of ms was calculated by combining all available experimental data