Equilibrium constants in aqueous lanthanide and actinide chemistry from time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy:: The role of ground and excited state reactions

Equilibrium constants for aqueous reactions between lanthanide or actinide ions and (in-) organic ligands contain important information for various radiochemical problems, such as nuclear reprocessing or the migration of radioelements in the geosphere. We study the conditions required to determine equilibrium constants by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy measurements. Based on a simulation study it is shown that the possibility to determine equilibrium constants depends upon the reaction rates in the photoexcited states of the lanthanide or actinide ions.