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Coordination chemistry of the actinide elements
Article By:
Hayton, Trevor W. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California.
Smiles, Danil Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California.
Last reviewed:2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB150550
The actinides (An) comprise elements 89 to 103 in the periodic table. All of the actinides are radioactive; however, several possess isotopes with long half-lives (for example, 232Th, t1/2 = 1.4 × 1010 y; 238U, t1/2 = 4.5 × 109 y; 237Np, t1/2 = 2.1 × 106 y; 239Pu, t1/2 = 2.4 × 104 y), allowing their chemistry to be explored using standard synthetic techniques. That said, the higher radioactivity of neptunium (Np) and plutonium (Pu) requires the use of specialized containment procedures for these elements to be handled safely. As a result, most research on the actinides has been performed with uranium (U).
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