Interaction of humic acid with plutonium/III/

The stability constants of the complex of Pu/III/ with a humic acid at pH 2.9 and 5.0 were measured using solvent-extraction technique. The organic extractant was dinonyl naphthalene sulphonic acid in sodium form /NaD/ in benzene while the humate aqueous phase had a constant ionic strength of 0.5M /NaClO₄/. The total carboxylate capacity of the humic acid was determined by direct potentiometric titration to be 6.201 Meq g^–1. The apparent pKa increased as the degree of ionization // increased. The 1g ₁ values of the complex of Pu/III/ with humic acid have been determined to be 2.8 and 3.11 at pH 2.9 and 5.0, respectively.