1. Chemical reactivity of actinides

1.1 Electronic structures, chemical bonds and oxidation states

The electronic configuration of actinides is shown in table 1 . Core electrons have the same configuration as radon (Rn). Valence electrons occupy 5f, 6d or 7s orbitals, depending on the element and its degree of oxidation. Covalent bonds are described with 5f and 6d functions in varying proportions along the series. For example, the 5f character is only predominant from Pa onwards for the molecular ions ${\text{AnO}}_2{}^{z-4}$ at the start of the series (An...