Curium iodide

Gonsidering the small amount of curium produced, a surprising number of compounds have been formed and identified. For example, there are two common oxides, curium dioxide (GmO ) and curium trioxide (Cm O ). Gurium also combines with other nonmetals such as the halogens as follows curium iodide (Cml ), curium bromide (CmBrp, and curium tetrafluo-ride (CmF ). 

Plutonium Purification. The same purification approach is used for plutonium separated from sediments or seawater. In case reduction may have occurred, the plutonium is oxidized to the quadrivalent state with either hydrogen peroxide or sodium nitrite and adsorbed on an anion exchange resin from 8M nitric acid as the nitrate complex. Americium, curium, transcurium elements, and lanthanides pass through this column unadsorbed and are collected for subsequent radiochemical purification. Thorium is also adsorbed on this column and is eluted with 12M hydrochloric acid. Plutonium is then eluted from the column with 12M hydrochloric acid containing ammonium iodide to reduce plutonium to the non-adsorbed tervalent state. For seawater samples, adequate cleanup from natural-series isotopes is obtained with this single column step so the plutonium fraction is electroplated on a stainless steel plate and stored for a-spectrometry measurement. Further purification, especially from thorium, is usually needed for sediment samples. Two additional column cycles of this type using fresh resin are usually required to reduce the thorium content of the separated plutonium fraction to insignificant levels. 

In the solution, americium, curium, and most of the fission products are in a single, relatively inextractable valence state. Iodine and ruthenium are important exceptions. Iodine may appear as inextractable iodide or iodate or as elemental iodine, which would be extracted by the solvent and react with it. Ruthenium may appear iii any valence state between 0... 

In the solution, americium and curium, most of the FPs are in a single relatively nonextractable valence state. Iodine and ruthenium are important exceptions. Iodine may appear as nonextractable iodide or iodate or as elemental iodine, which would be extracted by the solvent and react with it. Ruthenium may appear in any valence state between 0 (insoluble metal) and 8 (volatile ruthenium tetroxide), and, at valence 4, it may form a number of nitrosyl ruthenium (Ru(IV)NO) complexes of varying extractabil-ity. An important objective of dissolution and the preconditioning of the feed solution prior to extraction is to convert these FP elements into states that will not contaminate uranium, plutonium, or solvent in subsequent solvent extraction (Benedict, Pigford, and Levi, 1981). 

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