Heavy Element and Nuclear Chemistry at LBNL - Professor Heino Nitsche

 
Professor Heino Nitsche
  
  Research Interests  
 

I. Production, Chemistry and Nuclear properties of the heaviest elements.

The heaviest elements are synthesized at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (LB) 88-inch Cyclotron using the compound nucleus Berkeley Gas-filled Separator (BGS). We study the chemical properties of the heaviest elements to explore if relativistic effects cause a noticeable change in chemical behavior compared to their lighter homologues, thus establishing the architecture of the periodic system for the heaviest elements. Until now, the most important aspect of a chemical separation system used for study of the heaviest elements was the need for an extremely efficient separation of the heavy element atoms from interfering radioactivities concurrently produced in the nuclear reactions used. This severely limited the chemical systems that could be studied; for example, bohrium (107) and hassium (108) could only be studied by a few very simple and rugged gas phase experiments to form oxychlorides and oxides, and no aqueous phase experiment were ever performed. We have pioneered the use of the BGS as a pre-separator to provide high-purity heavy element samples for chemical separations. With the use of the BGS, there is no longer a need for the chemical system to separate heavy elements from interfering activities. This allows development of a very broad range of chemical separation systems that are better able to elucidate the chemical properties of the heaviest elements, and make the necessary comparison to the chemical behavior of chemical homologs.

In collaboration with Swiss and German colleagues, we have studied for the first time the chemistry of bohrium (107) and hassium (108). We are continuing to study the chemistry of elements rutherfordium through hassium (104-108) with more complex, second generation chemical reaction systems, and are developing methods to explore the chemistry of meitnerium (109) and elements 112 and 114.

II. Nuclear Chemistry related to fundamental processes in the environment

Solution Speciation and Interfacial Reactions of actinides on Metal Oxides and Oxyhydroxides. The research spans analytical chemistry, solution thermodynamics and kinetics, and solution/solid interfacial reactions. We are advancing the molecular understanding of actinide sorption by studying the beavior of the actinides uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, and curium on environmentally relevant solid substrates using modern spectroscopic techniques to explore the existence of complxes postulated by surface complexation modeling. Knowledge of the actinide speciation in solution is a prerequisite for the sorption studies. Besides conventional speciation techniques (potentiometric titration, spectrophotometry, solvent extraction, etc.), we use more sensitive laser-induced fluorescence and photoacoustic spectroscopy and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to provide molecular-level structural information of solids, solutions, and solution/solids interfaces.

Herr Professor
 
 


Dipl. Chem. (M.Sc.), Freie Universitaet Berlin, Germany (1976)

Dr. rer. nat (Ph.D.), Freie Universitaet Berlin, Germany (1980)
 
 











1998 - 2001 Founding Director, Glenn T. Seaborg Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

1993 - 1998 Professor of Radiochemistry, Technische Universitaet, Dresden, Germany

1993 - 1998 Director, Institute of Radiochemistry, Forschungszentrum Rossendorf e.V, Germany

1980 - 1993 Investigator, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory/University of California

1997 - 1998 Chair, Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh, Germany Chemical Society)
< p> 

  
 






Fachgruppe Nuklearchemie (Nuclear Chemistry Section)

Member: American Chemical Society (ACS)

Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh)

Kerntechnische Gesellschaft e.V. (KTG, German Nuclear Society).

 

  
 
 
 

Below is a partial list of publications. Download the full list as a PDF or MS-Excel document.

Skarnemark, G., Alstad, J., Eberhardt, K., Gregorich, K.E., Hoffman, D.C., Johansson, M., Kirbach, U., Langrock, G., Mendel, M., Ninov, V., Nitsche, H., Nähler, A., Omtvedt, J.P., Omtvedt, L.A., Stavestra, L., Sudowe, R., Trautmann, N., Wiehl, N., 2002. Application of SISAK for Fast Continuous Solvent Extraction Processes to Study Exotic Nuclides, 2002, Journal of South African Mining and Metallurgy, Proc. Int. Solvent Extraction Conference ISEC 2002, Cape Town, 1199 – 1204. LBNL-51391.

Gregorich, K.E., Ginter, T.N., Loveland, W., Peterson, D., Patin, J.B., Folden III, C.M., Hoffman, D.C., Lee, D.M., Nitsche, H., Omtvedt, J.P., Omtvedt, L.A., Stravsetra, L. Sudowe, R., Wilk, P.A., Zielinski, P.M., Aleklett, K., 2003. Cross Section Limits for the 208Pb(86Kr,n)293118 Reaction, European Journal Physics A 18, 633. LBNL-51215.

Türler, A., Düllman, Ch.E., Gäggeler, H.W., Kirbach, U.W., Yakushev, A.B., Schädel, M., Brüchle, W., Dressler, R., Eberhardt, K., Eichler, B., Eichler, R., Ginter, T.N., Glaus, F., Gregorich, K.E., Hoffman, D.C., Jäger, E., Jost, D.T., Lee, D.M., Nitsche, H., Patin, J.B., Pershina, V., Piguet, D., Qin, Z., Shausten, B., Schimpf, E., Schött, H.-J., Soverna, S., Sudowe, R., Thörle, P., Timokhin, S.N., Trautmann, N., Vahle, A., Wirth, G., and Zielinski, P M., 2003. On the decay properties of 269Hs and indications for the new nuclide 270Hs, Phys. Rev. Letter, Eur. Phys. J. A 17, 505–508. LBNL-49779.

Ginter, T.N., Folden, C.M., Gregorich, K.E., Hoffman, D.C., Kirbach, U.W., Lee, D.M., Loveland, W., Ninov, V., Nitsche, H., Patin, J.B., Seward, N., Sudowe, R., Wilk, P.A., Zielinski, P.M., Aleklett, K., Eichler, R., 2003. Confirmation of Production of Element 110 by the 208Pb(64Ni,n) Reaction, Physical Review C 67, 064609-1-5, LBNL-51696.

Shaughnessy, D. A., Booth, C. H., Nitsche , H., Shuh, D. K., Waychunas, G. A., Wilson, R. E., Gill, H., Cantrell, K. J., Serne, R. J., 2003. Molecular Interfacial Reactions Between Pu(VI) and Manganese Oxide Minerals Manganite (MnOOH) and Hausmannite (Mn3O4), Environmental Science and Technology, 37, 3367 - 3374. LBNL- 51325.

Knopp, R., Panak, P.J., Wray, L.A., Renninger, N., Keasling, J.D., Nitsche, H., 2003, Laser spectroscopic studies of interaction of U(VI) with bacterial phosphate species, Chem. Eur. J. 2003, 9, 2812-2818. LBNL-48224.

Kratz, J.V., Nähler, A., Rieth, U., Kronenberg, A., Kuczewski, B., Strub, E., Brüchle, W., Schädel, M., Shausten, B., Türler, A., Gäggleler, H.W., Jost, D.T., Gregorich, K.E., Nitsche, H., Laue, C., Sudowe, R., Wilk, P.A., 2003. An EC-branch in decay of 27-s 263Db: Evidence for the new isotope 263Rf, Radiochimica Acta, 91, 59-63. LBNL-51398.

Shaughnessy, D., Booth, Corwin, Nitsche, H., Shuh, D., Waychunas, G., Wilson, R., 2002. Complexation and redox interactions between aqueous plutonium and manganese oxide interfaces, Journal of Nuclear Science andTechnology, Suppl. 3, 274 -277. LBNL-47777.

Silva, R. J., Nitsche, H.,2002. Environmental Chemistry, in “Advances in plutonium chemistry: 1967-1997”, D. C. Hoffman, Sr. Ed., American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL, and University Research Alliance, Amarillo, TX, Chapter 6, 89- 117. LBNL-47859.

Omtvedt, J.P., Alstad, J., Breivik, H., Dyve, J.E., Eberhardt, K., Folden III, C.M., Ginter, T., Gregorich, K.E., Hult, E.A., Johansson, M., Kirbach, U.W., Lee, D.M., Mendel, M., Nähler, A., Ninov, V., Omtvedt, L.A., Patin, J.B., Skarnemark, G., Stravestra, L., Sudowe, R., Wiehl, N., Wierczinski, B., Wilk, P.A., Zielinski, P.M., Kratz, J.V., Trautmann, N., Nitsche, H., Hoffman, D.C., 2002, SISAK Liquid-Liquid Extraction Experiments with Pre Separated 257Rf, Proceedings of the ASE2001 symposium, Journal of Nuclear and Radiochemical Sciences, 3, 1, 121-124.

Düllmann, Ch. E., Brüchle, W., Dressler, R., Eberhardt, K., Eichler, B., Eichler, R., Gäggler, H.W., Ginter, T.N., Glaus, F., Gregorich, K.E., Hoffman, D.C.H., Jäger, E., Jost, D.T., Kirbach, U.W., Lee, D.M., Nitsche, H., Patin, J.B., Pershina, V., Piguet, D., Qin, Z., Schädel, M., Schausten, B., Schimpf, E., Schött, H.-J., Soverna, S., Sudowe, R., Thörle, P., Timokhin, S.N., Trautmann, N., Vahle, A., Wirth, G., Yakushev, A.B., Zielinski, P.M , 2003. First Chemical Investigation of Hassium (Hs, Z=108), Czech. J. Phys, Volume 53, Suppl. A, A291-A298. LBNL-54320

Düllmann, Ch. E., Brüchle, W., Dressler, R., Eberhardt, K., Eichler, B., Eichler, R., Gäggler, H.W., Ginter, T.N., Glaus, F., Gregorich, K.E., Hoffman, D.C.H., Jäger, E., Jost, D.T., Kirbach, U.W., Lee, D.M., Nitsche, H., Patin, J.B., Pershina, V., Piguet, D., Qin, Z., Schädel, M., Schausten, B., Schimpf, E., Schött, H.-J., Soverna, S., Sudowe, R., Thörle, P., Timokhin, S.N., Trautmann, N., Vahle, A., Wirth, G., Yakushev, A.B., Zielinski, P.M., 2002, Chemical investigation of hassium (Hs, element 108), Nature, 418, 859-862, August 22.

Kirbach, U.W., Folden III, C.M., Ginter, T.N., Gregorich, K.E., Lee, D.M., Ninov, V. Omtvedt, J.P., Patin, J.B., Seward, N.K., Strellis, D.A., Sudowe, R., Türler, A., Wilk, P.A., Zielinski, P.M., Hoffman, D.C., Nitsche, H., 2002. The Cyro-Thermochromatographic Separator (CTS): A New Rapid Separation and a-Detection System for On-line Chemical Studies of Highly Volatile Osmium and Hassium (Z=108) Tetroxides, Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research, Section A., 484, 587-594.

Panak, P.J., Knopp, R., Booth, C.H., Nitsche, H., 2002. Spectroscopic Studies on the Interaction of U(VI) with Bacillus sphaericus , Radiochimica Acta, 90, 779-783. LBNL-49460.

  

Please read our Privacy and Security Notice.

If you have any comments, please e-mail the webmaster.