ThH5: An Actinide-Containing Superhalogen Molecule

Thorium and its compounds have been widely investigated as important nuclear materials. Previous research focused on the potential use of thorium hydrides, such as ThH2, ThH4, and Th4H15, as nuclear fuels. Here, we report studies of the anion, ThH5-, by anion photoelectron spectroscopy and computations. The resulting experimental and theoretical vertical detachment energies (VDE) for ThH5- are 4.09 eV and 4.11 eV, respectively. These values and the agreement between theory and experiment facilitated the characterization of the structure of the ThH5- anion and showed its neutral counterpart, ThH5 to be a superhalogen. ThH5-, which exhibits a C-4v structure with five Th-H single bonds, possesses the largest known H/M ratio among the actinide elements, M. The adaptive natural density partitioning (AdNDP) method was used to further analyze the chemical bonding of ThH5- and to confirm the existence of five Th-H single bonds in the ThH5- molecular anion.

Automated summary

Research on ThH5- has shown its unique structure with five Th-H single bonds and its superhalogen properties. Experimental and theoretical calculations confirmed the existence of these bonds and the highest H/M ratio among the actinide elements. The study provides important insights into the chemical bonding of ThH5- and its potential applications in nuclear materials.