Preparation of transplutonium metals and compounds

New knowledge is being accumulated in the role of the 5f electrons in the bonding of the transplutonium elements and compounds, the relationships of metallic structures to metallic valence and radium, their magnetic, thermodynamic and spectrographic properties, and the range of validity of the actinide hypothesis. A review is presented of methods for preparing several selected compounds and the metallic state of the first 5 transplutonium elements. The intention is to discuss preparative techniques for some of the more frequently encountered materials and to indicate some of the important aspects to be considered during preparation. 115 references, 8 figures, 6 tables