Final published version
Licence: CC BY
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
<mark>Journal publication date</mark> | 21/09/2023 |
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<mark>Journal</mark> | Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics |
Issue number | 35 |
Volume | 25 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Pages (from-to) | 23753-23760 |
Publication Status | Published |
Early online date | 14/08/23 |
<mark>Original language</mark> | English |
Restricted active space simulations are shown to accurately reproduce and characterise both O K-edge and U M4,5-edge spectra of uranyl in excellent agreement with experimental peak positions and are extended to the Np analogue. Analysis of bonding orbital composition in the ground and O K-edge core-excited states demonstrates that metal contribution is underestimated in the latter. In contrast, An M4/5-edge core-excited states produce bonding orbital compositions significantly more representative of those in the ground state. Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules analysis is employed to explain the discrepancy between K- and M-edge data and demonstrates that the location of the core-hole impacts the pattern of electron localisation in core-excited states. An apparent contradiction to this behaviour in neptunyl is rationalised in terms interelectronic repulsion between the unpaired 5f electron and the excited core-electron.