First principles NEXAFS simulations of N-donor Uranyl complexes

The synthesis and study of soft-donor uranyl complexes can provide new insights into the coordination chemistry of non-aqueous [UO]2$^{+}$ Recently, the tunable N-donor ligand 2,6-Bis(2-benzimidazyl)pyridine (BBP) was employed to produce novel uranyl complexes in which the [UO]2$^{+}$ cation is ligated by anionic and covalent groups with discrete chemical differences. In this work we investigate the electronic structure of the three such uranyl-BBP complexes via near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) experiments and simulations using the eXcited electron and Core-Hole (XCH) approach [1]. The evolution of the structural as well as electronic properties across the three complexes is studied systematically. Computed N K-edge and O K-edge NEXAFS spectra are compared with experiment and spectral features assigned to specific electronic transitions in these complexes. Studying the variations in spectral features arising from N K-edge absorption provides a clear picture of ligand-uranyl bonding in these systems. References: [1] D. Prendergast and G. Galli, X-ray absorption spectra of water from first-principles calculations, Phys. Rev. Lett., 215502 (2006).