Plutonium-244 dating I. Initial ratio of plutonium to uranium in the allende meteorite

Re-examination of all known xenon isotope data for the carbonaceous chondrite Allende reveals that this meteorite contains as much as (22±1)·10^{–1 2} csSTP per gram of fissogenic¹³⁶Xe (^136fXe) from the extinct nuclide²⁴⁴Pu and it appears to have started to retain its xenon more than 4800 million years ago, when the²⁴⁴Pu to²³⁸U ratio in the solar system was 0.113±0.006 (atom/atom).     

Plutonium-244 dating

Re-examination of all known xenon isotopic data for ordinary chondrites reveals that²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon can be resolved in about one-fourth of the meteorites of this class. The amounts of²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon found in these meteorites range from ca. 1–2 up to 6–8·10^?12 ccSTP/g. These meteorites started to retain their xenon some 200–500 million years later than did the carbonaceous chondrites Allende, Groznaya, Mokoia, Murchison, Murray, and Renazzo which began to retain their xenon over 4800 million years ago.     

Plutonium-244 dating

Re-calculation of the²⁴⁴Pu ages of lunar rocks 10057 and 12013 indicates that, while the former started to retain its xenon (4,189 _?74 ⁺⁴⁵ ) million years ago, the latter was formed at a much later time, after the extinct nuclide²⁴⁴Pu had essentially decayed away.     

Plutonium-244 dating

Re-examination of all known xenon isotopic data for the carbonaceous chondrites Renazzo, Mokoia, and Groznaya reveals that these meteorites contain (26±7), (33±1), and (36±4)·10^–12 (ccSTP^136fXe/g) of²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon, respectively. These meteorites started to retain their xenon more than 4,800 million years ago at about the same time as did the carbonaceous chondrites Allende, Murray, and Murchison.     

Plutonium-244 dating

Re-examination of a vast amount of xenon isotope data which have been accumulated since the 1960s reveals that the so-called CCF (carbonaceous chondrite fission) xenon is a mixture of²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon and a severely mass-fractionated primordial xenon, whose isotopic composition has been further altered by neutron-capture and spallation reactions, which occurred in the vicinity of a supernova that most likely exploded sometime more than 4.8 billion years ago. The integrated flux of 10 KeV (stellar temperature) neutrons to which the xenon was exposed appears to have been in excess of 10²³ n/cm².     

Plutonium-244 dating VII. Initial abundances of uranium-235 and plutonium-244 in lunar samples

Re-examination of a vast amount of lead and xenon isotope data that have been accumulated since the Apollo 11 landing on the moon in July 1969 reveals that some of the lunar fines and breccia started to retain their radiogenic lead and fissiogenic xenon isotopes about 5 billion years ago when the ratios of²³⁵U and²⁴⁴Pu to²³⁸U in the early solar system were approximately 4 and 2 atoms per 10 atoms of²³⁸U, respectively.     

Polarographic behavior of uranium(VI) in malonic acid media determination of uranium in plutonium

The polarographic behavior of the uranium-malonate complex was investigated over the pH range 1.1–6.5. A reversible, one-electron wave was obtained. Below pH 4.9, the rate of disproportionation is nearly instantaneous and gives rise to a pseudo uranium(VI)-uranium(IV) reduction. Above pH 4.8 the concentration of uranium(V) is stable with respect to disproportionation. The half-wave potential is pH-dependent below pH 4.9, but it is independent of the malonate concentration above O.1 M. The diffusion current constant is 2.78 for the conditions described. A procedure for the determination of uranium in plutonium was developed for uranium concentrations greater than 225 p.p.m. Of 21 common impurities found in plutonium metal, only Cu, Fe, Pb, Sb and Ti cause significant interference ; titanium can be removed by ion exchange, and the other interferences by mercury cathode electrolysis.     

Plutonium-244 fission xenon in carbonaceous inclusions of primitive meteorites

A total of 13 samples of diamond separates studied so far, all contain excess ²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon. On the other hand, none of the SiC separates contains excess ²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon, while 5 out of 10 samples of graphite separates studied so far contain excess ²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon.     

Plutonium-244 and strange xenon components in the solar system

A number of strange xenon components have been reported in the literature during the past three decades; for example, AVCC (average carbonaceous chondrite), CCF (carbonaceous chondrite fission) xenon, xenon-X, xenon-H, xenon-L, xenon-S, xenon-U, SUCOR (surface correlated xenon), BEOC (Bern Oberflächen-Correliert) xenon, and so on. It is often assumed that they reprsent the isotopic compositions of more or less pure or primordial components of xenon. If one attempts to interpret the existing xenon isotope data for meteorites and lunar samples, assuming that they are pure or primordial, however, one encounters all sorts of problems and no coherent theory concerning the variation of the isotopic composition of xenon in the solar system emerges. We have therefore re-examined over 4,000 sets of existing xenon isotope data for meteorites and lunar samples. The results indicate that these strange xenon components are mixtures of²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon and atmospheric xenon, whose isotopic compositions have been altered by the processes of a) mass-fractionation, b) spallation and c) neutron-capture reactions.     

Plutonium-244 fission xenon and primordial xenon in the Allende meteorite

The carbonaceous chondrite Allende contains (22±1)·10⁻¹² cm³STP/g of²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon and two kinds of primordial xenon: Type I and Type II. The former represents the isotopic composition of a primordial xenon, which resided in the vicinity of a supernova shortly before it exploded, while the latter represents that of the xenon, which resided in the supernova. The isotopic composition of xenon found in the pink inclusion of the Allende meteorite, corrected for the presence of very large excesses of²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon,¹²⁹Xe from the decay of¹²⁹I, and of¹²⁸Xe from the neutron-capture reactions on¹²⁷I, resembles that of Type-I primordial xenon. The isotopic composition of xenon found in the diamond inclusions of the Allende meteorite, on the other hand, represents that of Type-II primordial xenon and it resembles that of a mixture of Type-I primordial xenon whose isotopic composition is severely altered by a combined effect of (a) mass-fractionation, (b) spallation, (c) stellar-temperature neutron-capture reactions, and (d) the presence of a large excess of²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon.     

Stability constants of complexes of uranium/VI/ and plutonium/VI/ with succinate ions

The stability constants of the complexes formed by U/VI/ and Pu/VI/ with succinate ions were determined in 0.5M NaClO₄ medium at 30°C following the Bjerrum-Calvin pH titration technique. The stability constants obtained agreed with values reported in literature following the same technique. The values for the second complexes were reported for the first time. U/VI/ complexes were found to have stabilities higher than the corresponding Pu/VI/ complexes in accordance with the acidities of the cations.     

Application of plutonium radiochronometry to the analysis of plutonium age dating reference materials

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Radiochronometry is an important tool for nuclear forensic analysis. Plutonium has a wide array of parent/progeny pairs that can be measured to...     

Plutonium-244 fission xenon and primordial xenon in lunar samples and meteorites

Xenon found in lunar samples is a binary mixture of²⁴⁴Pu fission xenon and a trapped xenon, whose isotopic composition often shows a striking resemblance to that ofTakaoka's¹ primitive xenon. The decay product of¹²⁹I is conspicuously absent in lunar samples and this may be attributed to the facts that (a) the half-life of¹²⁹I is much shorter than that of²⁴⁴Pu, and (b) the separation of xenon from plutonium may take place easily, since the former is a gaseous element, while the latter is a refractory element. The separation of xenon from iodine may not take place easily, however, since the former is a gaseous element, while the latter is a volatile element. The isotopic compositions of the trapped xenon released from ordinary chondrites and achondrites resemble that ofTakaoka's primitive xenon, which has been mass-fractionated in such a manner that the heavier isotopes are systematically enriched relative to the lighter isotopes.     

A novel chronometry technique for dating irradiated uranium fuels using Cm isotopic ratios

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - A novel chronometry method is developed to date irradiated nuclear fuels. It is based on the measurement of two Cm isotopic ratios (244Cm/246Cm...     

Role of anions and reaction conditions in the preparation of uranium(VI), neptunium(VI), and plutonium(VI) borates

U(VI), Np(VI), and Pu(VI) borates with the formula AnO(2)[B(8)O(11)(OH)(4)] (An = U, Np, Pu) have been prepared via the reactions of U(VI) nitrate, Np(VI) perchlorate, or Pu(IV) or Pu(VI) nitrate with molten boric acid. These compounds are all isotypic and consist of a linear actinyl(VI) cation, AnO(2)(2+), surrounded by BO(3) triangles and BO(4) tetrahedra to create an AnO(8) hexagonal bipyramidal environment. The actinyl bond lengths are consistent with actinide contraction across this series. The borate anions bridge between actinyl units to create sheets. Additional BO(3) triangles and BO(4) tetrahedra extend from the polyborate layers and connect these sheets together to form a three-dimensional chiral framework structure. UV-vis-NIR absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy confirms the hexavalent oxidation state in all three compounds. Bond-valence parameters are developed for Np(VI).     

Extraction of uranium(VI) and plutonium(IV) with some aliphatic amides

Extraction of uranium(VI) and plutonium(IV) has been studied with N,N-dibutyl derivatives of hexanamide (DBHA), octanamide (DBOA) and decanamide (DBDA) at various fixed temperatures of 20, 30, 40 and (50±0.1)°C. The equilibrium constants for the uptake of nitric acid (K_h, a measure of their relative basicities) by these amides were evaluated by the usual method. The equilibrium constants for the extraction of uranium as well as plutonium with all the three amides follow their order of basicity (K_h) viz. DBHA (0.09)<DBOA (0.10)<DBDA (0.13) with log K values of 1.31, 1.43 and 1.73 for uranium and 3.55, 3.65 and 4.17 for plutonium, respectively. It has been observed that whereas uranium(VI) is extracted as a disolvate (similar to TBP and sulfoxides), plutonium(IV) has been found to be extracted as a trisolvate. The thermodynamic parameters evaluated by the usual temperature coefficient method indicate that the extraction reactions of uranium as well as plutonium are stabilized by negative enthalpy change only.     

Synergistic extraction studies of uranium(VI) and plutonium(VI) with some β-diketones and heterocyclic N-oxides

The equilibrium constants for coordination of methyl substituted pyridine N-oxides with plutonium(VI) thenoyl trifluoroacetonate in chloroform (K_s) follow an order similar to those of the analogous uranium(VI) complexes indicating steric hindrance to bonding in the case of ortho substituted pyridine N-oxides. The extraction constants (k) of Pu(VI) chelates with various β-diketones are found to be only marginally higher than the values for the corresponding uranium(VI) chelates which is in conformity with the close similarity of the ionic radii of PuO ₂ ²⁺ and UO ₂ ²⁺ .     

Problems of plutonium and uranium determination

The experience with the determination of plutonium and uranium in the samples of nuclear fuel obtained during a 10-years period of the activity of the Central Control Laboratory of the Nuclear Research Institute at e is evaluated. The paper describes the principles of the methods used and the reproducibilities and accuracies of the results obtained with the aid of the titrimetric methods used for the determination of plutonium and uranium.     

Determination of uranium and plutonium in plutonium based fuels by sequential amperometric titration

A method is described for the sequential determination of uranium and plutonium in plutonium bearing fuel materials. Uranium and plutonium are reduced to U(IV) and Pu(III) with titanous chloride and then titrated with dichromate to two end points which are detected amperometrically using two polarized platinum electrodes. Uranium-plutonium solutions of known concentrations containing plutonium in the proportions of 4, 30, 50, and 70% were analyzed with precisions better than 0.3%, maintaining the amounts of plutonium per aliquot in the range of 2–10 mg. No significant bias could be detected. Several samples of (U, Pu)O₂ and (U, Pu)C were analyzed by this procedure. The effects of iron, fluoride, oxalic acid and mellitic acid on the method were also studied.