Scattering technique probes actinide orbitals to present experimental evidence of covalency trend

New research shows how chemical bonding distorts the 5f orbital in early actinides, evidencing computational ideas of covalency that have previously been difficult to prove. By analysing hexachlorides of tetravalent uranium, neptunium and plutonium with x-ray scattering, scientists were able to discern the inner and outer components of the 5f orbitals. It revealed that as you move along the series, the outer component of the 5f orbitals increases, while the inner component expands less due to increasing nuclear charge.