A new
technique, surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy,
was used for the structural investigation of lanthanide (Ln) and actinide
(An) complexes containing organic ligands. We synthesized thiol derivatives
of organic ligands with coordination sites similar to those of 2-[N-methyl-N-hexanethiol-amino]-2-oxoethoxy-[N′,N′-diethyl]-acetamide
[diglycolamide (DGA)], Cyanex-272, and N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridinylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine
(TPEN), which have been used for separating Ln and An through solvent
extraction. These ligands were attached on a gold surface deposited
on an Si prism through S–Au covalent bonds; the gold surface
enhanced the IR absorption intensity of the ligands. Aqueous solutions
of Ln (Eu3+, Gd3+, and Tb3+) and
An (Am3+) ions were loaded onto the gold surface to form
ion complexes. The IR spectra of the ion complexes were obtained using
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection
mode. In this study, we developed a new sample preparation method
for SEIRA spectroscopy that enabled us to obtain the IR spectra of
the complexes with a small amount of ion solution (5 μL). This
is a significant advantage for the IR measurement of radiotoxic Am3+ complexes. In the IR spectra of DGA, the band attributed
to CO stretching vibrations at ∼1630 cm–1 shifted to a lower wavenumber by ∼20 cm–1 upon complexation with Ln and An ions. Moreover, the amount of the
red shift was inversely proportional to the extraction equilibrium
constant reported in previous studies on solvent extraction. The coordination
ability of DGA toward Ln and An ions could be assessed using the band
position of the CO band. The Cyanex-272- and TPEN-like ligands
synthesized in this report also showed noticeable SEIRA signals for
Ln and An complexes. This study indicates that SEIRA spectroscopy
can be used for the structural investigation of ion complexes and
provides a microscopic understanding of selective extraction of Ln
and An.