Intermolecular energy transfer from UO2+2 to Eu3+ in solutions

The quenching constants for the UO²⁺₂ ion fluorescence by the Eu³⁺ ion in H₂O, D₂O, potassium formate and acetic acid media were determined by measuring the decrease in intensity of the 5050 Å fluorescence peak and the lifetime of the UO²⁺₂ ion fluorescence. The energy transferred to the Eu³⁺ ion was found to be a small fraction of the energy lost by the UO²⁺₂ ion by the non-radiative processes. The variations of the quenching constants of the UO²⁺₂ ion and the fluorescence lifetimes were determined for different concentrations of potassium formate and acetic acid. These results indicate that the UO²⁺₂ ion forms inner sphere complexes with the two ligands mentioned.