Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
The hydrolysis chemistry of the tetravalent actinides is discussed based on recent studies with thorium. The coupling of high energy x-ray scattering and single crystal diffraction has provided insight into the structures of the polynuclear complexes formed by hydrolytic reactions of the tetravalent actinides. The success of these experiments with thorium presents many opportunities for the elucidation of the structures and thermodynamic quantities describing the dissolved polynuclear complexes of the heavier actinides.