New Heavy Metal Molecule May Unveil Secrets of Nuclear Waste Processes

Since its first synthesis in a post-WWII American lab in 1949, berkelium has stood out on the periodic table, defying quantum mechanics by adopting an extra positive charge that its relatives typically avoid.

Now, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory—berkelium’s birthplace—have successfully bonded this elusive element with carbon, creating a rare organometallic complex. This breakthrough will allow for more detailed study of berkelium’s unique properties.

Due to the challenges of producing and safely handling this heavy element, few chemists have had the chance to work with it. A single gram costs an astounding $27 million, though this experiment required only 0.3 milligrams of berkelium-249. Because heavy, radioactive elements are difficult to analyze on their own, forming an organometallic complex simplifies the process. These compounds, known for their high symmetry and strong covalent bonds with carbon, provide a clearer picture of an atom’s electronic structure.

However, the resulting molecule is so reactive to air that only a handful of laboratories worldwide can handle it safely. This new compound, called “berkelocene,” mirrors the structure of ferrocene. Instead of an iron core, berkelium ions are sandwiched between two carbon rings, forming an organometallic complex. By studying this structure, researchers hope to gain deeper insights into berkelium and its potential behavior in nuclear waste materials.

Decades of Progress in Actinide Carbon Bonding

For decades, chemists have sought to bind the 15 radioactive actinide elements into carbon-based structures. This effort began when uranium was stabilized in the thermodynamically favorable form of uranocene. By the 1970s, researchers had synthesized similar complexes—thorocene from thorium, protactinocene from protactinium, neptunocene from neptunium, and plutonocene from plutonium. More recently, even heavier actinides like americium and californium have been incorporated into organometallic structures.

Yet, berkelium, element 97, had remained out of reach—until now.

“This is the first time we’ve confirmed a chemical bond between berkelium and carbon,” explains Berkeley Lab chemist Stefan Minasian. “This discovery enhances our understanding of how berkelium and other actinides compare to their periodic table neighbors.”

By stabilizing berkelium in this form, the team tested its electronic structure using ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectroscopy. Minasian notes that traditional periodic table predictions suggested berkelium would behave like terbium, a lanthanide. However, unlike its lanthanide counterpart, berkelium prefers a ‘+4’ charged state. This indicates that ionic bonds—similar to magnetic attraction—rather than stronger covalent bonds hold the organometallic molecule together.

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction further revealed how berkelium is positioned within two carbon-hydrogen rings, confirming its bonding with carbon atoms.

Understanding the behavior of heavier actinides like berkelium is crucial for addressing challenges in long-term nuclear waste storage and cleanup. As these unstable synthetic elements continue to accumulate, insights from such research may prove essential for managing their long-term impact.

Read Original Article: Science Alert

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