Being the most abundant radioactive element, the unique chemical properties of thorium continue to be an area of great interest. As one of the three naturally abundant radioisotopes, thorium chemistry has been researched and developed as they relate to the nuclear fuel industry, whether as a fuel source in itself or using Th(IV) as a substitute for Pu(IV) in separation studies. One idea for means to selectively remove actinides incorporates selective Schiff-base ligands with softer donors based on the increased covalent bond character formed to the coordinate actinides. Schiff-base ligands have been investigated with numerous metals because of their steric and electronic tunability, facile preparation, and their solubility in organic solvents. These ligands could also be used in applications for actinide detection, identification, or sequestration of actinides from rare earths for rare earth production. In this work, we examine the fundamental chemical characteristics of thorium, by looking at the coordination and ligand charged metal transfer (LCMT) in thorium complexes formed with Schiff base pyrasal ligands. Thorium(IV) was reacted with a series of functionalized pyrasal ligands to form metal complexes. Each complex is characterized by IR, NMR (1H, 13C), and mass spectrometry. The molecular structures will be determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. This can give insights into the relative covalency of the thorium bonding and the factors that affect emission in salophen type complexes with actinides.

Synthesis and characterization of thorium pyrasal complexes

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