Complex formation of neptunium(V) with 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid studied by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy with ultra-short laser pulses

The complex formation of neptunium(V) with 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid (vanillic acid) was studied by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy with ultra-short laser pulses using the fluorescence properties of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid. A 2:1 complex of neptunium(V) with 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid was found. The stability constant of this complex was determined to be log β210 = 7.33 ± 0.10 at an ionic strength of 0.1 mol/l (NaClO4) and at 21 °C. The determination of the stability constant required an investigation of the excited-state proton transfer of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid over the whole pH range. It was realized that 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid undergoes excited-state reactions only at pH values below 5. At pH values above 5 stability constants can be determined without kinetic calculation of the proton transfer.