The changing role of the 5f-electrons: How it affects the high-temperature and high-pressure chemistry of the actinides

The contributions of G. T. Seaborg to establishing the position of the actinides in the Periodic Table is well known. The fact that the properties of the actinides do not reflect perfectly a series of elements with a regular increase in the number of localized f-electrons (f-orbital occupation) is also well established. The changing role of the 5f-electrons affects many of the chemical and physical properties that are displayed by the actinides and their compounds. Systematic comparisons of the high-pressure behavior of these elements and the high-temperature vaporization of these elements and their oxides are used to demonstrate this varying nature of the 5f-electrons across the series