Synchrotron investigations in environmental radiochemistry research

Over the past decades, environmental radionuclide research using innovative X-ray spectroscopy techniques in combination with other analytical/spectroscopic methods and quantum chemical and atomistic modelling has helped improve scientific understanding of radiochemical processes important for numerous application areas and secure basic knowledge of relativistic (many electron) heavy elements. Examples of x-ray absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques applied to a range of 4 f /5 f element systems are presented which aim to demonstrate the evolution in the field.