Cerium isotope partition in HNO3/TBP or HDEHP extraction systems

The^142/140Ce unit separation factors (q) for cerium(III)-cerium(IV) exchange reaction in an extraction system containing Ce(IV) in tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) or di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) and Ce(III) in nitric acid were determined. The value of q was found to be 1.00054±0.00012 (2) in 6M HNO₃/TBP and 1.00078±0.00028 in 6M HNO₃/HDEHP extraction systems. The dehydration and complex formation processes and their contribution to reduced partition function ratios (RPFR's) are discussed.     

Europium isotope separation in the HCl/HDEHP extraction system

The^153/151Eu isotope separation factor (q) for the Eu(II)/Eu(III) chemical exchange in the liquid-liquid extraction system, containing Eu (III) in di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) and Eu(II) in water acidified with hydrochloric acid, was found to be 0.9993±0.0002 (2) for the single stage. Some theoretical aspects of separation of the Eu isotopes are discussed. The decisive role of the electron exchange reaction and complexation by the counter-ion in the aqueous phase is emphasized.     

Determination of optimum process conditions for solvent extraction of thorium using Taguchi method

Solvent extraction of thorium was studied using Taguchi method. The effect of various parameters such as acid types (sulfuric, nitric, hydrochloric, sulfuric + nitric) and their concentrations from 0.001 to 4 M, initial thorium concentration (0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1 M) and solvent type (TBP, D₂EHPA, Cyanex921, Cyanex272) in the ranges of 0.001 to 1 M on thorium extraction efficiency were investigated. The maximum extraction of thorium was obtained while 0.001 M hydrochloric acid, 0.001 or 0.01 M thorium and Cyanex272 were used. Under these optimum conditions, the extraction percent and distribution coefficient of thorium were 98.7% and 73.8, respectively. Compared with the hydrochloric aqueous solution, the nitric acid system showed less variation in the extraction of thorium. The proposed process has been applied for the separation of Th(IV), U(VI), La(III), and Ce(III) from synthetic solution same as thorium ores (monazite).     

Extraction of Am(III) by mixture of dihexyl N,N-diethylcarbamoylmethyl phosphonate and tributyl phosphate in benzene from nitric acid solutions

Extraction of Am(III) by dihexyl N,N-diethylcarbamoylmethyl phosphonate (CMP) in benzene from nitric acid solutions (pH 2.0 to 6.0M) has been studied. High extraction of Am(III) by CMP from 2–3M HNO₃ was observed. The species extracted was found to be Am(NO₃)₃·3CMP. The extraction was also done with mixtures of CMP+TBP and CMP+TOPO, where mixed species were extracted in the organic phase. The back-extraction experiments gave an efficient back-extraction of Am(III) by pH 2.0 (HNO₃) from the loaded CMP+TBP phase but a poor back-extraction from the loaded CMP+TOPO phase. The loading of Nd(III) by mixture of CMP and TBP was 50% of the CMP concentrations at a total Nd(III) concentration of 0.182M. The thermodynamic parameters of Am(III) extraction by a mixture of CMP and TBP were evaluated by temperature variation method, which suggests that the two-phase reaction is stabilized by enthalpy and opposed by entropy.     

Prompt gamma-ray analysis using cold and thermal guided neutron beams

The extraction behavior of uranium(VI), plutonium(IV) and some fission products like zirconium(IV), ruthenium(III) and europium(III) from 3.5M nitric acid with -irradiated organic phase pre-equilibratedn-dodecane solutions of dihexyl derivatives of hexanamide (DHHA), octanamide (DHOA) and decanamide (DHDA) has been investigated as a function of absorbed dose upto 184·10⁴ Gy. The results indicate that the extraction of uranium(VI) decreases gradually with dose upto 72·10⁴ Gy and becomes almost constant thereafter, while, the extraction of plutonium(IV) decreases upto a dose of 20·10⁴ Gy and then increases rapidly up to a dose of 82·10⁴ Gy indicating synergistic effects of radiolytic products formed at higher doses. Extraction of zirconium(IV) increases gradually upto a dose of 72·10⁴ Gy. Europium(III) does not get extracted with any of these amides in the entire dose range (0–184·10⁴ Gy) studied, however, ruthenium shows insignificant increase in extraction with dose. The decrease inD values noticed in the case of plutonium and zirconium after the dose of 72·10⁴ Gy which was attributed to the third phase formation and emulsification. Infrared studies confirm the final products of radiolysis as the respective amines and carboxylic acids. The degraded amide contents have been estimated by quantitative IR spectrophotometric technique. Extraction data obtained for uranium(VI) and plutonium(IV) with TBP/n-dodecane system have also been compared under similar experimental conditions.     

Extraction and extraction chromatographic separation of minor actinides from sulphate bearing high level waste solutions using CMPO

Bench-Scale studies on the partitioning and recovery of minoractinides from the actual and synthetic sulphate-bearing high level waste (SBHLW) solutions have been carried out by giving two contacts with 30% TBP to deplete uranium content followed by four contacts with 0.2M CMPO+1.2M TBP in dodecane. The acidity of the SBHLW solutions was about 0.3M. In the case of actual SBHLW, the final raffinate contained about 0.4% -activity originally present in the HLW, whereas with synthetic SBHLW the -activity was reduced to the background level.¹⁴⁴Ce is extracted almost quantitative in the CMPO phase,¹⁰⁶Ru about 12% and¹³⁷Cs is practically not extracted at all. The extraction chromatographic column studies with synthetic SBHLW (aftertwo TBP contacts) has shown that large volume of waste solutions could be passed through the column without break-through of actinide metal ions. Using 0.04M HNO₃>99% Am(III) and rare earths could be eluted/stripped. Similarly >99% Pu(IV) and U(VI) could be eluted.stripped using 0.01M oxalic acid and 0.25M sodium carbonate, respectively. In the presence of 0.16M SO ₄ ^2– (in the SBHLW) the complex ions AmSO ₄ ⁺ , UO₂SO₄, PuSO ₄ ²⁺ and Pu(SO₄)₂ were formed in the aqueous phase but the species extracted into the organic phase (CMPO+TBP) were only the nitrato complexes Am(NO₃)₃·3CMPO, UO₂(NO₃)₂·2CMPO and Pu(NO₃)₄·2CMPO. A scheme for the recovery of minor actinides from SBHLW solution with two contacts of 30% TBP followed by either solvent extraction or extraction chromatographic techniques has been proposed.     

Determination of americium-243 through its daughter product neptunium-239

The extraction of Np(IV), Zr, Nb, Cs, Ce(III) and Am(III) from nitric acid solutions containing oxalate and phosphate ions by solutions of 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoylpyrazolon-5 (PMBP) and tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) in benzene has been investigated. A solution 0.1M in respect to PMBP and 0.25M in respect to TBP was found to extract 99% of neptunium from aqueous solutions 1M in respect to H₃PO₄ and 0.5M in respect to HNO₃. Under these conditions, the extraction of the other investigated elements does not exceed 0.1%. Based on this finding, a procedure was developed to determine²⁴³Am through its daughter product²³⁹Np in solutions containing large quantities of curium and its fission products. The sensitivity of the procedure is 1·10⁻⁷ mg of²⁴³Am in the sample. The²⁴³Am content is obtained by calculation from measurements of the γ-activity of the extracted²³⁹Np. The purification ratio of²³⁹Np is∼10⁵ from Zr, Nb and Ru, ∼10⁸ from Ce and Cm and >10¹² from Cs.     

Evaluation of unsymmetrical dithiodiglycolamide as novel extractant for application in selective separation of palladium(II) from aqueous solutions

A novel unsymmetrical multidentate ligand namely; N,N'-dimetyl-N,N'-didecyldithiodiglycolamide (DMD³TDGA) was synthesized and used as agent for the selective extraction of palladium(II) from hydrochloric acid solutions. A systematic investigation was carried out on the extraction of Pd(II) using DMD³TDGA. The quantitative extraction of Pd(II) with DMD³TDGA in n-dodecane is observed at ~4 M HCl. The main extracted species of Pd(II) is PdC_l2. DMD³TDGA and IR spectra of the extracted species were investigated. The extraction of palladium(II) from various concentrations of hydrochloric acid solutions in the presence of metal ions, such as Pt(IV), Rh(III), Cr(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), Nd(III), Zr(II), and Mn(II) was carried. DMD³TDGA showed very high selectivity and extractability for Pd(II). Quantitative back extraction of Pd(II) was obtained in single contact using thiourea solution. The results obtained indicated that, excellent separation of Pd(II) from the investigated metal ions can be achieved. Five successive cycles of extraction/back-extraction, indicating excellent stability and re-utilization of this new extractant can be used for selective separation of Pd(II) from other elements in hydrochloric acid medium.     

Valency stabilization of polyvalent ions during gamma-irradiation of their aqueous solutions by sacrificial protection

The various aspects of valency stabilization of polyvalent ions during -radiolysis have been further investigated. Ce(IV) ions, which are normally reduced in their aqueous solution, were found to be stabilized for increasing periods of time when they were irradiated in the presence of increasing amounts of bromate ions. It was found that the addition of about fifteen times excess of bromate ions to a 10^–3 N Ce(IV) solution stabilized the cerium ions in the tetravalent state for about 120 hours during irradiation at a dose rate of 336 Gy/h. Increasing the amount of bromate used resulted in a subsequent increase in the protection time. It has been also noted that while bromate ions protected Ce(IV) in solution, the latter ions showed a clear protective effect on the bromate used, i.e., there is a mutual protective effect. The probable mechanisms, conditions and limitations of the protection process have been discussed. Based on the data obtained in the present work, it has been suggested that the protection of Ce(IV) ions by bromate ions in aqueous solutions during -radiolysis is very probably due to the preferential interaction of bromate with the reducing radiolysis products of water which are capable of reducing Ce(IV) to Ce(III).     

Photochemical properties of peroxo complexes of titanium,intermediate products in the photocatalytic liquid-phase oxidation of alcohols

A study has been made of the photochemical reactions of titanium(IV) peroxo complexes formed in the reaction of titanium tetrachloride with hydrogen peroxide in alcoholic solutions and which are characterized by intense charge transfer bands at 360–425 nm. Irradiation of the solutions with light of = 254 nm leads to the decomposition of the titanium(IV) peroxo complexes, the formation of titanium(III) compounds, as well as the oxidation of the alcohol to aldehyde. In the irradiated frozen solutions associated complexes of titanium(III), organic free radicals formed from the alcohol molecule, as well as peroxy radicals have been identified by EPR. Irradiation with light corresponding to the longwave band of the peroxo complexes leads to their decomposition but titanium(III) compounds and alcohol oxidation products are not formed in this case. In irradiated frozen solutions the formation of paramagnetic titanium(IV) complexes containing the fragment Ti...O ₂ has been established, as well as other paramagnetic particles identified tentatively as coordinated Ti...O ₂ ^· radicals or radical pairs. It is shown that the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of titanium(IV) compounds is photocatalytic.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 67–74, January–February, 1988.     

Microdetermination of bromate ions with antipyrine

Summary A spectrophotometric method for the micro-determination of bromate ions has been described. A red colored complex is obtained when 3 ml of 5% antipyrine, 3 ml of 60% perchloric acid and 1 ml of 0.1M sodium nitrite solution are added in a solution containing bromate ions. The maximum absorbance occurs at 525 nm. Beer's law is obeyed for solutions containing 25.0–140.0/ml of bromate ions. Sensitivity has been found to be 0.029g BrO₃ ^–/cm² for logI ₀/I=0.04 with a molar absorptivity of 2·10³ moles^–1, cm^–1. liter. As(III), Ce(IV), Fe(III), CrO₄ ^2–, Cr₂O₇ ^2–, and Cl^– interfere in the determination.

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Zusammenfassung Eine spektrophotometrische Methode zur Mikrobestimmung von Bromationen wurde beschrieben. Nach dem Zusatz von 3 ml 5%iger Antipyrinlösung, 3 ml 60% iger Perchlorsäure und lml 0,1 ·m Natriumnitrit zu einer bromathaltigen Lösung erhält man eine rot gefärbte Komplexverbindung. Deren Absorptionsmaximum liegt bei 525 nm. Lösungen mit 25,0 bis 140,0g Bromat/ml entsprechen dem Beerschen Gesetz. Die Empfindlichkeit der Reaktion beträgt 0,029g BrO₃ ^–/cm₂ für logI ₀/I=0,04 mit einer molaren Absorption von 2 · 10³ m^–1 · cm^–1 · 1. As(III), Ce(IV), Fe(III), CrO₄ ^2–, Cr²O₇ ^2– und Cl^– stören die Bestimmung.

     

Thin-layer chromatographic separation of rhodium(III) and iridium(III, IV) by anion exchange

Summary The TLC behaviour of Rh(III), Ir(III) and Ir(IV) has been investigated in the two systems consisting of DEAE-cellulose or ECTEOLA-cellulose and 5 M HCl media containing H₂O₂. These systems, especially in combination with a simple chemical pretreatment of samples (with LiCl, HCl and H₂O₂), can effectively be applied to the complete separation of mixtures of Rh(III) and Ir(III) or Ir(IV) in a wide range of ratios and amounts (Rh: Ir=1100 to 1001).

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Dünnschicht-chromatographische Trennung von Rhodium(III) und Iridium(III, IV) durch Anionenaustausch

Zusammenfassung Das dünnschicht-chromatographische Verhalten von Rh(III), Ir(III) und Ir(IV) wurde in H₂O₂-haltiger 5 M salzsaurer Lösung auf DEAE-sowie ECTEOLA-Cellulose untersucht. In Kombination mit einer einfachen chemischen Vorbehandlung der Probe (mit LiCl, HCl, H₂O₂) kann eine wirkungsvolle Trennung von Rh(III) und Ir(III) oder Ir(IV) über einen weiten Konzentrationsbereich erzielt werden (Rh: Ir=1100 bis 1001).

     

Effect of acrylamide concentration on the kinetics of oxidation of tartaric acid by cerium(IV) in sulfuric-perchloric acid media

The kinetics of oxidation of tartaric acid by Ce(IV) in the absence and presence of acrylamide has been investigated spectrophotometrically in aqueous H₂SO₄–HClO₄ media at a constant ionic strength 2.0M and 25°C. Oxidation of tartaric acid in both cases was first order with respect to Ce(IV). Kinetic data showed that the reaction involves the formation of an unstable complex and an intermediate free radical. The activation parameters were calculated to be E _a =91.3±0.4 kJ-mol^–1, S=20.2±1.0 J-mol^–1-K^–1, H=88.8±0.4 kJ-mol^–1. A polymerization mechanism is discussed.     

Separation of gold from Cu, Pt, Pd, Ni, Zn, Cd and Hg using triphenylarsine oxide as an extractant

A method is developed for extraction of gold(III) (75–300 g) from hydrochloric acid solution with triphenylarsine oxide dissolved in toluene as extradant. Gold(III) is determined spectrophotometrically with stannous chloride. The extraction is quantitative from 1.5–1.9M hydrochloric acid with 0.25% triphenylarsine oxide and an equilibration period of 30s. The method permits separation of gold(III) from Cu(II), Pt(IV), Pd(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) and its spectrophotometric determination in ayurvedic medicines. The recovery and relative standard deviation obtained are >99.0% and <1.0%.     

Selective solid-phase extraction and separation of trace gold, palladium and platinum using activated carbon modified with ethyl-3-(2-aminoethylamino)-2-chlorobut-2-enoate

Activated carbon was chemically modified with ethyl-3-(2-aminoethylamino)-2-chlorobut-2-enoate to obtain a material for selective solid-phase extraction of trace Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV) prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Experimental conditions such as effects of pH, shaking time, sample flow rate and volume, elution and interfering ions were studied. The ions Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV) can be quantitatively adsorbed on the new sorbent from solution of pH 1. The adsorbed ions were then eluted with 0.1 mol L^?1 hydrochloric acid and containing 4% thiourea. Many common ions do not interfere. The adsorption capacity of the material is 305, 92, and 126 mg g^?1 for Au(III), Pd(II) and Pt(IV), respectively, and the detection limits are 5, 11 and 9 ng mL^?1. The relative standard deviation is less than 3.0% (n?=?8) under optimum conditions. The method was validated by analyzing two certified reference materials and successfully applied to the preconcentration and determination of these ions in actual samples with satisfactory results.

Extraction-spectrophotometric determination of tungsten as tungsten blue

Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) is used to extract tungsten(IV) from 0.5 M hydrochloric acid containing molybdenum(VI) and other metals. Tungsten(VI) in the TBP solution is reduced by tin(II) chloride and n-butyl acetate is used for dilution. The tungsten blue formed in the TBP/n-butyl acetate medium (1:1) is measured at 615 nm. The apparent molar absorptivity is about 1000 1 mol^?1 cm^?1; calibration graphs are linear in the range 0.1–1.5 mg of tungsten.     

Synergistic extraction of uranyl ion with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoylpyrazolone-5 (HPMBP) and diphenyl sulfoxide (DPSO), tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) or tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO)

Synergistic extraction of uranyl ion with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-pyrazolone-5 (HPMBP) and oxo donors with widely varying basicity, viz. diphenyl sulfoxide (DPSO), tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) and tri-n-octylphosphine-oxide (TOPO) has been studied at various fixed temperatures. Results indicate that the equilibrium constants in the organic phase for addition reactions (K_S) with these donors follow their order of basicity (K_H) viz. DPSO (0.033)<TBP (0.16)TOPO (8.9) with log K_S values of 3.70, 4.28 and 6.45, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters associated with the formation of these systems have been evaluted by the temperature coefficient method. The results indicate that the complex in the organic phase for DPSO and TBP is stabilized only by enthalpy, whereas both enthalpy and entropy contribute to the stabilization of the TOPO complex. Also, enthalpy contribution is more prominent as compared with the UO ₂ ²⁺ /HTTA/TOPO system, where both enthalpy and entropy contribute almost equally.     

Thermodynamics of extraction of tetravalent plutonium,uranium, thorium and zirconium

Thermodynamic treatment of the experimental data on the extraction of quadrivalent Pu, U, Th and Zr with tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) from nitric acid solutions is presented. It is shown that the extraction of all the quadrivalent metals studied is going according to the same mechanism: M(OH)^4?i+(4?i)NO ₃ ^? +2TBP?M(OH)_i(NO₃)_4?i·2 TBP. For Zr, i=0, 1, and 2; for the remaining M(IV), i=0 and 1. The thermodynamic constants of extraction of M(IV) with the kerosene solutions of TBP according to the above mentioned equation are as follows: Zr: K ₀ ⁰ =0.6; K ₁ ⁰ =14; K ₂ ⁰ =5. Pu: K ₀ ⁰ =380; K ₁ ⁰ =4.8·10⁴. U: K ₀ ⁰ =300; K ₁ ⁰ =1.8·10⁴. Th: K ₀ ⁰ ～150. It has been established that Zr and Pu(IV) are extracted into 2-thenoyltrifluoracetone (HA) from perchloric acid solutions under the formation of MA₄ and M(ClO₄)A₃ species. For the extraction from nitric acid solutions, the species formed are ZrA₄ and Zr(NO₃)A₃ in the case of Zr, PuA₄ and Pu(OH)A₃ in the case of Pu. The differences in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the extraction of M(IV) with TBP and HA from nitric and perchloric acids are explained by the effect of the character of the acid and of ionic potential upon the structure of the hydration shell of M _aq ⁴⁺ .     

Extraction of uranium (VI), plutonium (IV) and some fission products by tri-iso-amyl phosphate

The extractive properties of tri-isoamyl-phosphate (TAP), an indigenously prepared extractant, and the loading capacity of extraction solvent containing TAP for U(VI) and Pu(IV) ions in nitric solution have been investigated. The dependence of the distribution ratio on the concentration of nitric acid showed that TAP has an ability to extract these actinides, while the fission product contaminants are poorly extracted. The distribution data revealed a quantitative extraction of both U(VI) and Pu(IV) from moderate nitric acidities in the range 2–7 mol · dm^–3. Slope analysis proved predominant formation of the disolvated organic phase complex of the type UO₂(NO₃). 2TAP and Pu(NO₃)₄·2TAP with U(VI) and PU(IV), respectively. On the contrary, the extraction of fission product contaminants such as¹⁴⁴Ce,¹³⁷Cs,⁹Nb.,¹⁴⁷Pr,¹⁰⁶Ru,⁹⁵Zr was almost negligible even at very high nitric acid concentrations in the aqueous phase indicating its potential application in actinide partitioning. The recovery of TAP from the loaded actinides could be easily accomplished by using a dilute sodium carbonate solution or acidified distiled water (0.01 mol · dm^–3 HNO₃) as the strippant for U(VI) and using uranous nitrate or ferrous sulphamate as that for Pu(IV). Radiation stability of TAP was adequate for most of the process applications.