Of uranium

The new elements neptunium and plutonium have been produced in quantity by neutron bombardment of uranium. Subsequently many isotopes have been obtained by transmutation and synthetic isotopes of elements such as Ac and Pa are more easily obtained than the naturally occurring species. Synthetic species of lighter elements, e.g. Tc and Pm are also prepared. 

The formula is fair for cases, when volume of metal is most less than volume of filling. For example, the volume of uranium makes up a few percents from volume of graphite in uranium - graphite fuel element and Wo 80 %. 

The control technique of fuel distribution in uranium - graphite fiael elements seems to be most perform. The technique allows to determine weight of uranium or its connections in a chosen zone of fuel elements. There were used the sources of radiation on a basis radionuclide Am. The weight of uranium in fuel element or its parts is determined by combine processing of a tomograms, set received on several parallel layers of fuel element. The comparative results of tomographic researches and chemical analysis of weight of uranium in quarters of spherical fuel elements are resulted in the table. 

Results of uranium weight determination in nuclear reactor fuel elements. 

Initially, the only means of obtaining elements higher than uranium was by a-particle bombardment of uranium in the cyclotron, and it was by this means that the first, exceedingly minute amounts of neptunium and plutonium were obtained. The separation of these elements from other products and from uranium was difficult methods were devised involving co-precipitation of the minute amounts of their salts on a larger amount of a precipitate with a similar crystal structure (the carrier ). The properties were studied, using quantities of the order of 10 g in volumes of... 

Gr. technetos, artificial) Element 43 was predicted on the basis of the periodic table, and was erroneously reported as having been discovered in 1925, at which time it was named masurium. The element was actually discovered by Perrier and Segre in Italy in 1937. It was found in a sample of molybdenum, which was bombarded by deuterons in the Berkeley cyclotron, and which E. Eawrence sent to these investigators. Technetium was the first element to be produced artificially. Since its discovery, searches for the element in terrestrial material have been made. Finally in 1962, technetium-99 was isolated and identified in African pitchblende (a uranium rich ore) in extremely minute quantities as a spontaneous fission product of uranium-238 by B.T. Kenna and P.K. Kuroda. If it does exist, the concentration must be very small. Technetium has been found in the spectrum of S-, M-, and N-type stars, and its presence in stellar matter is leading to new theories of the production of heavy elements in the stars. 

Originally, radium was obtained from the rich pitchblende ore found in Joachimsthal, Bohemia. The carnotite sands of Colorado furnish some radium, but richer ores are found in the Republic of Zaire and the Great Lake region of Canada. Radium is present in all uranium minerals, and could be extracted, if desired, from the extensive wastes of uranium processing. Large uranium deposits are located in Ontario, New Mexico, Utah, Australia, and elsewhere. 

Gr. aktis, aktinos, beam or ray). Discovered by Andre Debierne in 1899 and independently by F. Giesel in 1902. Occurs naturally in association with uranium minerals. Actinium-227, a decay product of uranium-235, is a beta emitter with a 21.6-year half-life. Its principal decay products are thorium-227 (18.5-day half-life), radium-223 (11.4-day half-life), and a number of short-lived products including radon, bismuth, polonium, and lead isotopes. In equilibrium with its decay products, it is a powerful source of alpha rays. Actinium metal has been prepared by the reduction of actinium fluoride with lithium vapor at about 1100 to 1300-degrees G. The chemical behavior of actinium is similar to that of the rare earths, particularly lanthanum. Purified actinium comes into equilibrium with its decay products at the end of 185 days, and then decays according to its 21.6-year half-life. It is about 150 times as active as radium, making it of value in the production of neutrons. 

Uranium can be prepared by reducing uranium halides with alkali or alkaline earth metals or by reducing uranium oxides by calcium, aluminum, or carbon at high temperatures. The metal can also be produced by electrolysis of KUF5 or UF4, dissolved in a molten mixture of CaCl2 and NaCl. High-purity uranium can be prepared by the thermal decomposition of uranium halides on a hot filament. 

Much of the internal heat of the earth is thought to be attributable to the presence of uranium and thorium. 

Crystals of uranium nitrate are triboluminescent. Uranium salts have also been used for producing yellow "vaseline" glass and glazes. Uranium and its compounds are highly toxic, both from a chemical and radiological standpoint. 

Recently, the natural presence of uranium in many soils has become of concern to homeowners because of the generation of radon and its daughters. 

Planet pluto) Plutonium was the second transuranium element of the actinide series to be discovered. The isotope 238pu was produced in 1940 by Seaborg, McMillan, Kennedy, and Wahl by deuteron bombardment of uranium in the 60-inch cyclotron at Berkeley, California. Plutonium also exists in trace quantities in naturally occurring uranium ores. It is formed in much the same manner as neptunium, by irradiation of natural uranium with the neutrons which are present. 

Foiin s mixture (for uric acid) dissolve 500 g of ammonium sulfate, 5 g of uranium acetate, and 6 mL of glacial acetic acid, in 650 mL of water. The volume is about a liter. 

Another area where controlled-potential coulometry has found application is in nuclear chemistry, in which elements such as uranium and polonium can be determined at trace levels. Eor example, microgram quantities of uranium in a medium of H2SO4 can be determined by reducing U(VI) to U(IV) at a mercury working electrode. 

One of the most significant sources of change in isotope ratios is caused by the small mass differences between isotopes and their effects on the physical properties of elements and compounds. For example, ordinary water (mostly Ej O) has a lower density, lower boiling point, and higher vapor pressure than does heavy water (mostly H2 0). Other major changes can occur through exchange processes. Such physical and kinetic differences lead to natural local fractionation of isotopes. Artificial fractionation (enrichment or depletion) of uranium isotopes is the basis for construction of atomic bombs, nuclear power reactors, and depleted uranium weapons. 

Lead occurs naturally as a mixture of four non-radioactive isotopes, and Pb, as well as the radioactive isotopes ° Pb and Pb. All but Pb arise by radioactive decay of uranium and thorium. Such decay products are known as radiogenic isotopes. 

A rather more specific mechanism of microbial immobilization of metal ions is represented by the accumulation of uranium as an extracellular precipitate of hydrogen uranyl phosphate by a Citrobacter species (83). Staggering amounts of uranium can be precipitated more than 900% of the bacterial dry weight Recent work has shown that even elements that do not readily form insoluble phosphates, such as nickel and neptunium, may be incorporated into the uranyl phosphate crystallites (84). The precipitation is driven by the production of phosphate ions at the cell surface by an external phosphatase. 

Although the process requires the addition of a phosphate donor, such as glycerol-2-phosphate, it may be a valuable tool for cleaning water contaminated with radionuchdes. An alternative mode of uranium precipitation is driven by sulfate-reducing bacteria such as Desulfovibrio desulfuricans which reduce U(VI) to insoluble U(IV). When combined with bicarbonate extraction of contaminated soil, this may provide an effective treatment for removing uranium from contaminated soil (85). 

In general, the absorption bands of the actinide ions are some ten times more intense than those of the lanthanide ions. Fluorescence, for example, is observed in the trichlorides of uranium, neptunium, americium, and curium, diluted with lanthanum chloride (15). 

The simple box-type mixer—settler (113) has been used extensively in the UK for the separation and purification of uranium and plutonium (114). In this type of extractor, interstage flow is handled through a partitioned box constmction. Interstage pumping is not needed because the driving force is provided by the density difference between solutions in successive stages (see Plutoniumand plutonium compounds Uraniumand uranium compounds). 

Uranium Extraction from Ore Leach Liquors. Liquid—Hquid extraction is used as an alternative or as a sequel to ion exchange in the selective removal of uranium [7440-61-1] from ore leach Hquors (7,265,271). These Hquors differ from reprocessing feeds in that they are relatively dilute in uranium and only slightly radioactive, and contain sulfuric acid rather than nitric acid. 

Acrylonitrile fibers treated with hydroxides have been reported to be useful for adsorption of uranium from seawater (105). Tubular fibers for reverse osmosis gas separations, ion exchange, ultrafiltration, and dialysis are a significant new appHcation of acryUc fibers and other synthetics. Commercial acryUc fibers have already been developed by Nippon Zeon, Asahi, and Rhc ne-Poulenc. 

A few techniques exist that do not provide for direct dating but rather give information as to whether the object is of modem manufacture. One of these is dating (53). In the decay series of uranium, the first long-Hved member after Ra, with its 1622 yr half-life, is which has a 22 yr... 

Guar gum [9000-30-0] derived from the seed of a legume (11,16), is used as a flocculant in the filtration of mineral pulps leached with acid or cyanide for the recovery of uranium and gold (16). It is also used as a retention aid, usually in a chemically modified form (14,17). Starch and guar gum are subject to biological degradation in solution, so they are usually sold as dry powders that are dissolved immediately before use. Starch requires heating in most cases to be fully dissolved. 

Elemental fluorine is used captively by most manufacturers for the production of various inorganic fluorides (Table 5). The market for gaseous fluorine is small, but growing. The main use of fluorine is in the manufacture of uranium hexafluoride, UF, by... 

Uranium hexafluoride is used in the gaseous diffusion process for the separation and enrichment of uranium-235, which exists in low concentration in natural uranium. The enriched UF is converted back into an oxide and used as fuel for the nuclear power industry. 

J. Dykstrra, A. P. Huber, and B. H. Thompson, "Multi-Ton Production of Fluorine for Manufacture of Uranium Hexaduoride," paper presented... 

CoF is used for the replacement of hydrogen with fluorine in halocarbons (5) for fluorination of xylylalkanes, used in vapor-phase soldering fluxes (6) formation of dibutyl decalins (7) fluorination of alkynes (8) synthesis of unsaturated or partially fluorinated compounds (9—11) and conversion of aromatic compounds to perfluorocycHc compounds (see Fluorine compounds, organic). CoF rarely causes polymerization of hydrocarbons. CoF is also used for the conversion of metal oxides to higher valency metal fluorides, eg, in the assay of uranium ore (12). It is also used in the manufacture of nitrogen fluoride, NF, from ammonia (13). 

Uranium is converted by CIF, BiF, and BrP to UF. The recovery of uranium from irradiated fuels has been the subject of numerous and extensive investigations sponsored by atomic energy agencies in a number of countries (55—63). The fluorides of the nuclear fission products are nonvolatile hence the volatile UF can be removed by distiUation (see Nuclearreactors Uraniumand uranium compounds). 

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