On the Highest Oxidation States of Metal Elements in MO₄ Molecules (M = Fe, Ru, Os, Hs, Sm, and Pu)

Metal tetraoxygen molecules (MO₄, M = Fe, Ru, Os, Hs, Sm, Pu) of all metal atoms M with eight valence electrons are theoretically studied using density functional and correlated wave function approaches. The heavier d-block elements Ru, Os, Hs are confirmed to form stable tetraoxides of T_d symmetry in ¹A₁ electronic states with empty metal d⁰ valence shell and closed-shell O^2– ligands, while the 3d-, 4f-, and 5f-elements Fe, Sm, and Pu prefer partial occupation of their valence shells and peroxide or superoxide ligands at lower symmetry structures with various spin couplings. The different geometric and electronic structures and chemical bonding types of the six iso-stoichiometric species are explained in terms of atomic orbital energies and orbital radii. The variations found here contribute to our general understanding of the periodic trends of oxidation states across the periodic table.