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About 40-50% of the actinide contraction has been attributed to relativistic effects. [2] A decrease in atomic radii can be observed across the 5f elements from atomic number 89, actinium, to 102, nobelium. This results in smaller than otherwise expected atomic radii and ionic radii for the subsequent d-block elements starting with 103, lawrencium.
In fact, the 5f subshells of the actinides have a larger spatial extent than the 4f orbitals of the lanthanides and thus actinide compounds have greater covalent character than the corresponding lanthanide compounds, leading to a more extensive coordination chemistry for the actinides than the lanthanides. [4]
The actinide concept explained some of the observed properties of the first few actinides, namely the presence of +4 to +6 oxidation states, and proposed hybridization of the 5f and 6d orbitals, whose electrons were shown to be loosely bound in these elements. It also supported experimental results for a trend towards +3 oxidation states in the ...
The lanthanides obey the Oddo–Harkins rule – odd-numbered elements are less abundant than their even-numbered neighbors. Three of the lanthanide elements have radioactive isotopes with long half-lives (138 La, 147 Sm and 176 Lu) that can be used to date minerals and rocks from Earth, the Moon and meteorites. [88]
Lanthanide metals react exothermically with hydrogen to form LnH 2, dihydrides. [1] With the exception of Eu and Yb, which resemble the Ba and Ca hydrides (non-conducting, transparent salt-like compounds),they form black pyrophoric, conducting compounds [6] where the metal sub-lattice is face centred cubic and the H atoms occupy tetrahedral sites. [1]
The actinide series derives its name from the first element in the series, actinium. The informal chemical symbol An is used in general discussions of actinide chemistry to refer to any actinide. [1] [2] [3] The 1985 IUPAC Red Book recommends that actinoid be used rather than actinide, since the suffix -ide normally indicates a negative ion.
The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or rare earths, and sometimes the lanthanides or lanthanoids (although scandium and yttrium, which do not belong to this series, are usually included as rare earths), [1] are a set of 17 nearly indistinguishable lustrous silvery-white soft heavy metals.
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element, an actinide metal. Actinide chemistry (or actinoid chemistry) is one of the main branches of nuclear chemistry that investigates the processes and molecular systems of the actinides. The actinides derive their name from the group 3 element actinium.