Hydrolytic Reactions of Plutonium

Pu in all of its oxidation states exists in aqueous solutions as highly charged ions and therefore undergoes hydrolysis reactions in dilute acid solutions. The tendencies for these ions to undergo hydrolysis is dependent on the charge and ionic radius. The tendency thus increases with increasing atomic number for all the oxidation states of the actinide series and in the case of Pu increases in the order PuO Pu I u.  

Pu has approximately the same tendency to hydrolyze as Ce but less than that of 

The constant for the first displacement of a proton from the hydration sphere, 

PuOg hydrolyzes to a greater extent than a simple dipositive ion of the same radius, showing the effect of the highly charged central Pu ion. 

TABLE IV-8. First Hjfdrolysis Constants and Solubility Products for Plutonium Ions, 

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