V. Pershina

Measurement of the first ionization potential of astatine by laser ionization spectroscopy

The radioactive element astatine exists only in trace amounts in nature. Its properties can therefore only be explored by study of the minute quantities of artificially produced isotopes or by performing theoretical calculations. One of the most important properties influencing the chemical behaviour is the energy required to remove one electron from the valence shell, referred to as the ionization potential. Here we use laser spectroscopy to probe the optical spectrum of astatine near the ionization threshold. The observed series of Rydberg states enabled the first determination of the ionization potential of the astatine atom, 9.31751(8) eV. New ab initio calculations are performed to support the experimental result. The measured value serves as a benchmark for quantum chemistry calculations of the properties of astatine as well as for the theoretical prediction of the ionization potential of superheavy element 117, the heaviest homologue of astatine.

Theoretical predictions of trends in spectroscopic properties of homonuclear dimers and volatility of the 7p elements

Fully relativistic density functional theory electronic structure calculations were performed for homonuclear dimers of the 7p elements, 113-118 and their 6p homologs, Tl through Rn. All the dimers of the heaviest elements, with the exception of (118)(2), were found to be weaker bound than their lighter homologs. The difference in the dissociation energy (D(e)) between the 6p and 7p homologs was shown to decrease from group 15 to group 17, with a reversal of the trend in group 18. A remarkable feature is a shift of the maximum in D(e)(M(2)) from group 15 in the third through sixth rows to group 16 in the seventh row. Strong relativistic effects on the 7p atomic orbitals, particularly, their large spin-orbit splitting, were shown to be responsible for these trends. Using the calculated D(e)(M(2)), the sublimation enthalpies, DeltaH(sub), of macroamounts, or formation enthalpies of gaseous atoms, DeltaH(f)(g), of the heaviest elements were estimated using a linear correlation between these quantities in the chemical groups. The newly estimated values are in good agreement with those obtained via a linear extrapolation from the lighter homologs in the groups.

Theoretical predictions of trends in spectroscopic properties of gold containing dimers of the 6p and 7p elements and their adsorption on gold.

Fully relativistic, four-component density functional theory electronic structure calculations were performed for the MAu dimers of the 7p elements, 113 through 118, and their 6p homologs, Tl through Rn. It was shown that the M-Au bond strength should decrease from the 6p to 7p homologs in groups 13 and 14, while it should stay about the same in groups 15 through 17 and even increase in group 18. This is in contrast with the decreasing trend in the M-M bond strength in groups 15 through 17. The reason for these trends is increasingly important relativistic effects on the np AOs of these elements, particularly their large spin-orbit splitting. Trends in the adsorption energies of the heaviest elements and their homologs on gold are expected to be related to those in the binding energies of MAu, while sublimation enthalpies are closely connected to the binding energies of the MM dimers. Lack of a correlation between the MAu and MM binding energies means that no correlation can also be expected between adsorption enthalpies on gold and sublimation enthalpies in groups 15 through 17. No linear correlation between these quantities is established in the row of the 6p elements, as well as no one is expected in the row of the 7p elements.

Theoretical predictions of properties of group-2 elements including element 120 and their adsorption on noble metal surfaces.

Trends in properties of group-2 elements Ca through element 120 and their M(2) and MAu dimers were determined on the basis of atomic and molecular relativistic density functional theory calculations. The relativistic contraction and stabilization of the ns AO with increasing atomic number were shown to result in the inversion of trends both in atomic and molecular properties in group 2 beyond Ba, so that element 120 should be chemically similar to Sr. Due to the same reason, bonding in (120)(2) and 120Au should be the weakest among the considered here M(2) and MAu. Using calculated dissociation energies of M(2), the sublimation enthalpy, ΔH(sub), of element 120 of 150 kJ/mol was estimated via a correlation between these quantities in group 2. Using the M-Au binding energies, the adsorption enthalpies, ΔH(ads), of element 120 of 172 kJ/mol on gold, 127 kJ/mol on platinum, and 50 kJ/mol on silver were estimated via a correlation with known ΔH(ads) in the group. These moderate values of ΔH(ads) are indicative of a possibility of chromatography adsorption studies of element 120 on these noble metal surfaces.

Ab initio studies of atomic properties and experimental behavior of element 119 and its lighter homologs.

Static dipole polarizabilities of element 119 and its singly charged cation are calculated, along with those of its lighter homologs, Cs and Fr. Relativity is treated within the 4-component Dirac-Coulomb formalism and electron correlation is included by the single reference coupled cluster approach with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations (CCSD(T)). Very good agreement with available experimental values is obtained for Cs, lending credence to the predictions for Fr and element 119. The atomic properties in group-1 are largely determined by the valence ns orbital, which experiences relativistic stabilization and contraction in the heavier elements. As a result, element 119 is predicted to have a relatively low polarizability (169.7 a.u.), comparable to that of Na. The adsorption enthalpy of element 119 on Teflon, which is important for possible future experimental studies of this element, is estimated as 17.6 kJ/mol, the lowest among the atoms considered here.

Relativistic coupled cluster study of diatomic compounds of Hg, Cn, and Fl

The structure and energetics of eight diatomic heavy-atom molecules are presented. These include the species MAu, M2, and MHg, with M standing for the Hg, Cn (element 112), and Fl (element 114) atoms. The infinite-order relativistic 2-component Hamiltonian, known to closely reproduce 4-component results at lower computational cost, is used as framework. High-accuracy treatment of correlation is achieved by using the coupled cluster scheme with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations in large converged basis sets. The calculated interatomic separation and bond energy of Hg2, the only compound with known experimental data, are in good agreement with measurements. The binding of Fl to Au is stronger than that of Cn, predicting stronger adsorption on gold surfaces. The bond in the M2 species is strongest for Fl2, being of chemical nature; weaker bonds appear in Cn2 and Hg2, which are bound by van der Waals interactions, with the former bound more strongly due to the smaller van der Waals radius. The same set of calculations was also performed using the relativistic density functional theory approach, in order to test the performance of the latter for these weakly bound systems with respect to the more accurate coupled cluster calculations. It was found that for the MAu species the B3LYP functional provides better agreement with the coupled cluster results than the B88/P86 functional. However, for the M2 and the MHg molecules, B3LYP tends to underestimate the binding energies.