Thermal decomposition of cesium hexanitratouranium(IV)

As cesium hexanitratouranium(IV), Cs₂U(NO₃)₆, has the same Cs:U stoichiometry as that of Cs₂UO₄, thermal decomposition of this nitrato complex in air and nitrogen was studied in detail as a possible alternate method of preparing pure Cs₂UO₄. The volatility of cesium nitrate, which is one of the intermediate products, changed this Cs:U ratio during thermal decomposition. Hence, only Cs₂U₂O₇ was obtained on heating the sample to 775 K or higher. A scheme for the thermal decomposition of Cs₂U(NO₃)₆ is given by combining the observed TG, XRD and IR data.