Study of metallofullerenes encapsulating actinides

Akiyama, Kazuhiko; Sueki, Keisuke*; Tsukada, Kazuaki; Yaita, Tsuyoshi; Miyake, Yoko*; Haba, Hiromitsu*; Asai, Masato; Kodama, Takeshi*; Kikuchi, Koichi*; Otsuki, Tsutomu*; et al.

Journal of Nuclear and Radiochemical Sciences, 3(1), p.151 - 154, 2002/06

https://doi.org/10.14494/jnrs2000.3.151

The oxidation state of actinide elements encapsulated in fullerenes is studied. HPLC elution behavior of actinide-fullerenes is classified into two groups; the elution behavior of the first group, encapsulating U, Np, and Am, is similar to that of the light lanthanide-fullerenes, such as La, Ce, Pr, and Nd, while the behavior of the second group, encapsulating Th and Pa, is quite different from that of any lanthanide-fullerenes. The chemical species in the main HPLC elution peak of each group were identified as M@C82 and M@C84 (M = metal atom) from the mass of the U and Th fullerenes, respectively. The oxidation states of the U and Th atoms in the fullerenes were deduced to be 3+ and 4+, respectively, from the UV/vis/NIR absorption and XANES spectroscopy.