₁₀₂No²⁺ as a soft metal ion: Extraction of ²⁵⁵No using crown ethers.

Authors

Eisuke Watanabe, Ruilin Wang, Takuya Yokokita, Ryohei Nakanishi, Saki Otaka, Ryotaro Masuda, Yudai Itakura, Yudai Shigekawa, Hiromitsu Haba, Akihiro Nambu, Xiaojie Yin, Kyosuke Shibamoto, Masashi Kaneko, Koichi Takamiya, Atsushi Shinohara, Yoshitaka Kasamatsu

Published in

Science advances. Volume 12. Issue 40. Pages eaeh4903. Oct 02, 2026. Epub Sep 30, 2026.

Abstract

The chemical properties of transfermium elements with atomic numbers >100 are largely unknown. Element 102, nobelium, is an actinide and forms stable +2 valent cations in aqueous solutions, unlike other heavy actinide. In previous experiments, No²⁺ exhibits similar behavior to alkaline earth metal ions, particularly Ca²⁺ and Sr²⁺, suggesting hard-acid character. In this study, the soft metal ion behavior of No²⁺ was demonstrated through complex with crown ethers. In the solid-liquid extraction of ²⁵⁵No using di-^tBu-dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 in HNO₃, No²⁺ was extracted as much as Sr²⁺. Density functional theory calculations confirmed higher stability of the No²⁺-DtBuCH18C6 complex, with covalent bonding involving the 6d orbitals. Theoretical studies also revealed strong relativistic effects on the atomic orbitals of No²⁺, rendering No²⁺ a soft ion similar to Pb²⁺.

PMID:
42814827
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Oct 2026.

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