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Fundamental and Experimental Aspects of Single Atom-at-a-Time Chemistry

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The Chemistry of Superheavy Elements

Abstract

Investigating the chemical properties of elements that are only produced one-atom-at-a-time raises questions about the validity of the chemical information obtained. Can kinetics and thermodynamics laws be applied when concentrations decrease to a few atoms? What is the meaning of chemical equilibrium with a single atom? An attempt to answer this fundamental question is presented using concepts of statistical thermodynamics and fluctuations theory, and the validity of some experiments on the heaviest actinides and transactinides in aqueous solutions is discussed. Experiments on transactinides are always performed in comparison with their most probable homologs. Such a comparison make sense if effects of the media (composition of electrolyte, ionic strength, temperature) are taken into account, regardless of the concentration of the element under study. Therefore, models that describe non-ideality in aqueous and organic solution are briefly discussed.

Didier Trubert was an author for the first edition of this chapter. Didier Trubert—deceased

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Physique Nucléaire, Orsay, France

    Claire Le Naour & Didier Trubert

  2. University of California Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Darleane C. Hoffman

Authors
  1. Claire Le Naour
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  2. Darleane C. Hoffman
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  3. Didier Trubert
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Correspondence to Claire Le Naour .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany

    Matthias Schädel

  2. Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, USA

    Dawn Shaughnessy

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Le Naour, C., Hoffman, D.C., Trubert, D. (2014). Fundamental and Experimental Aspects of Single Atom-at-a-Time Chemistry. In: Schädel, M., Shaughnessy, D. (eds) The Chemistry of Superheavy Elements. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37466-1_4

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