{"671287":{"#nid":"671287","#data":{"type":"external_news","title":"To Study Radioactive Neptunium and Plutonium, Researchers Establish a Novel Chemistry","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOxidation is the process where atoms lose electrons during a chemical reaction. Among the radioactive elements, neptunium and plutonium are much harder to oxidize than uranium. To study these elements, scientists have designed donor ligands \u2014 molecules that contribute electron density to metal centers. This allows scientists to stabilize these metals as they become more electron-poor.\u0026nbsp;Accessing and studying the high oxidation states of uranium, neptunium, and plutonium complexes helps scientists understand their chemical reactivities\u2014how easily they form new chemical compounds. These studies can shed light on how radioactive materials may behave in nuclear waste streams and waste storage. This study summary was written by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/henry-la-pierre\u0022\u003EHenry La Pierre\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E and Director of the National Nuclear Security Administration Transuranic Chemistry Center of Excellence.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOxidation is the process where atoms lose electrons during a chemical reaction. Among the radioactive elements, neptunium and plutonium are much harder to oxidize than uranium. To study these elements, scientists have designed donor ligands \u2014 molecules that contribute electron density to metal centers. This allows scientists to stabilize these metals as they become more electron-poor.\u0026nbsp;Accessing and studying the high oxidation states of uranium, neptunium, and plutonium complexes helps scientists understand their chemical reactivities \u2014 how easily they form new chemical compounds. These studies can shed light on how radioactive materials may behave in nuclear waste streams and waste storage. This study summary was written by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/henry-la-pierre\u0022\u003EHenry La Pierre\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E and Director of the National Nuclear Security Administration Transuranic Chemistry Center of Excellence.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2023-11-28 21:15:25","changed_gmt":"2023-11-28 21:15:25","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","publication":"U.S. Department of Energy","field_article_url":"","publication_url":"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/science\/bes\/articles\/study-radioactive-neptunium-and-plutonium-researchers-establish-novel","dateline":{"date":"2023-11-17T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2023-11-17T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166928","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"178113","name":"Henry La Pierre"},{"id":"11938","name":"oxidation"},{"id":"193312","name":"neptunium"},{"id":"182170","name":"plutonium chemistry"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}