It has long been debated as to which valence orbitals are used in bonding in the mid- to late actinides as covalency is expected to decrease and ionic interactions expected to increase. This bonding change has helped form the basis for the notion that the heavier actinides are much more analogous to the lanthanides both in structural formation and bonding. For the first time, it has been demonstrated that structural and bonding differences can be achieved between californium and the lanthanides by using highly polarizable ligands that can drastically rearrange upon complexation. This work demonstrates that the 5f, 6d, and 7p orbitals are all involved in the bonding between californium and a polyborate network along with large crystal field effects. Synthetic, structural, spectroscopic, and quantum mechanical calculations are all complementary and support these findings.

<b>Award Address </b>(Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry sponsored by Avantor™ Performance Materials, Inc.). Unusual covalent bonding observed in a californium borate

251st National Meeting (2016)

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Award Address (Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry sponsored by Avantor™ Performance Materials, Inc.). Unusual covalent bonding observed in a californium borate