Plutonium Ions in Solution

The chemistry of plutonium ions in solution has been thoroughly studied and reviewed (30,94—97). Thermodynamic properties of aqueous ions of Pu are given in Table 8 and in the Uterature (64—66). The formal reduction potentials in aqueous solutions of 1 Af HCIO or KOH at 25°C maybe summarized as follows (66,86,98—100) ... 

The many possible oxidation states of the actinides up to americium make the chemistry of their compounds rather extensive and complicated. Taking plutonium as an example, it exhibits oxidation states of -E 3, -E 4, +5 and -E 6, four being the most stable oxidation state. These states are all known in solution, for example Pu" as Pu ", and Pu as PuOj. PuOl" is analogous to UO , which is the stable uranium ion in solution. Each oxidation state is characterised by a different colour, for example PuOj is pink, but change of oxidation state and disproportionation can occur very readily between the various states. The chemistry in solution is also complicated by the ease of complex formation. However, plutonium can also form compounds such as oxides, carbides, nitrides and anhydrous halides which do not involve reactions in solution. Hence for example, it forms a violet fluoride, PuFj. and a brown fluoride. Pup4 a monoxide, PuO (probably an interstitial compound), and a stable dioxide, PUO2. The dioxide was the first compound of an artificial element to be separated in a weighable amount and the first to be identified by X-ray diffraction methods. 

The uncertainty of the proper coordination number of any particular plutonium species in solution leads to a corresponding uncertainty in the correct cationic radius. Shannon has evaluated much of the available data and obtained sets of "effective ionic radii" for metal ions in different oxidation states and coordination numbers (6). Unfortunately, the data for plutonium is quite sparse. By using Shannon s radii for other actinides (e.g., Th(iv), U(Vl)) and for Ln(III) ions, the values listed in Table I have been obtained for plutonium. These radii are estimated to have an uncertainty of 0.02 X ... 

The electrochemical behavior of plutonium ions in alkaline media has received substantially less literature coverage in comparison to results in acidic solutions. 

The plutonium ions in aqueous solution possess characteristic colors bluc-lavcndcr for Pu3+. yellow-brown to green for Pu4+, and pink-orange for Pu02 +. 

The reactions to be expected between the radicals produced by the radiation of H2O with the plutonium ions in aqueous solution are ... 

A second reason for the wealth of chemical investigations of the early actinide elements is the relative diversity of their chemistry. While the chemistry of the later actinides is most often restricted to that of the tri- and tetravalent oxidation states, compounds of the early actinides can be isolated in all oxidation states from +3 to +7. The accessibility of a range of oxidation states is the impetus for signficant chemical interest in the early actinides, but also vastly complicates investigation of these elements under some circumstances, such as aqueous redox behavior. In the case of plutonium, ions in four different oxidation states (+3, +4, +5, and - -6) can exist simultaneously in comparable concentrations in the same solution. 

Plutonium also forms a similar series of cations. In this instance the redox potentials indicate that Pu + is the most stable ion. Hot bromate solutions are required to oxidise it to Pu02+, but reduction to the terpositive state is easier than with and Np + ions, being effected by sulphur dioxide, hydrazine or the iodide ion. In solution, the Pu + ion is not oxidised... 

The differences in sorptive behavior of Th, Pu, U, and Np are evident by examining Table II. Plutonium and thorium isotopes at tracer concentrations (parts per billion, element mass/clay mass) were equilibrated for 24 hours with the < 2-pm fraction (clay) of a silt loam soil. The pH of the equilibration solutions was 6.5 and the aqueous phase contained Ca at a concentration of 5 mM. Both tetravalent actinides failed to remain 1n solution. Whether this is a direct function of sorption mechanisms or simply related to the solubility of the ions in solution is not distinguished by the results. Uranyl ion was not removed to the same extent as the tetravalent species. Neptunium(V) sorbed very poorly. It should be noted that while Np(V) is a mono-charged cation, Np02+ does not sorb like Na+. 

The bismuth phosphate process consisted of a number of steps in which plutonium is made alternatively soluble and insoluble. Fuel elements containing plutonium, uranium, and fission products were first dissolved in nitric acid. Plutonium was reduced to the tetravalent state by addition of sodium nitrite. Plutonium phosphate Pu3 (P04)4 was coprecipitated with bismuth phosphate BiP04, by addition of bismuth nitrate and sodium phosphate. Coprecipitation of uranium was prevented by the presence of sufficient sulfate ion to form anionic UO2(804)2. The BiP04 precipitate was redissolved in nitric acid and subjected to two decontamination cycles to purify the plutonium. In each cycle the plutonium was oxidized to the soluble hexavalent state by NaBiOs or other strong oxidant. Next bismuth phosphate was again precipitated, to remove fission products while hexavalent plutonium remained in solution. Then plutonium was reduced to the tetravalent state and again coprecipitated with bismuth phosphate. 

Once the plutonium is in solution, it can be recovered and purified for recycle by well-established solvent extraction and ion-exchange techniques. Aluminum nitrate is added to the feed to complex the fluoride and thus decrease its interference with plutonium recovery. 

M (VI) UO is the most stable oxidation state of uranium. Neptunium, plutonium and americium form MO ions in solution with the stability ordering being U > Pu > Np > Am. 

Comparison of experimental and theoretical studies of the solution absorption and luminescence spectra of lanthanide and actinide ions is the focus of this chapter. In aqueous solutions, the most stable oxidation state of lanthanide ions is 3+, but actinide-ion formal oxidation states ranging from 2+ to 7 -I- are known (Seaborg and Loveland 1990). Actinide elements heavier than plutonium exhibit more lanthanidelike behavior, however, in that 3-1- is their most stable formal oxidation state in aqueous solution. The visible and near-infrared absorption spectra of trivalent lanthanide and actinide ions in solution provide such rich detail that the spectra may fairly be said to fingerprint the ion for identification. The abundance of sharp spectral features long confronted theoretical and experimental spectroscopists with difficult problems. The efforts of numerous workers have provided interpretation of many aspects of the spectra of these f-transition elements significant challenges remain. 

Kasha, M. (1949) Reactions between plutonium ions in perchloric acid solution rates, mechanisms and equilibria, in... 

Absorption Spectra, of Aqueous Ions. The absorption spectra of Pu(III) [22541-70 ] Pu(IV) [22541 4-2] Pu(V) [22541-69-1] and Pu(VI) [22541-41-9] in mineral acids, ie, HCIO and HNO, have been measured (78—81). The Pu(VII) [39611-88-61] spectmm, which can be measured only in strong alkaU hydroxide solution, also has been reported (82). As for rare-earth ion spectra, the spectra of plutonium ions exhibit sharp lines, but have larger extinction coefficients than those of most lanthanide ions (see Lanthanides). The visible spectra in dilute acid solution are shown in Figure 4 and the spectmm of Pu(VII) in base is shown in Figure 5. The spectra of ions of plutonium have been interpreted in relation to all of the ions of the bf elements (83). 

Plutonium(III) in aqueous solution, Pu " ( 4)> is pale blue. Aqueous plutonium(IV) is tan or brown the nitrate complex is green. Pu(V) is pale red-violet or pink in aqueous solution and is beUeved to be the ion PuO Pu(VI) is tan or orange in acid solution, and exists as the ion PuO. In neutral or basic solution Pu(VI) is yellow cationic and anionic hydrolysis complexes form. Pu(VII) has been described as blue-black. Its stmcture is unknown but may be the same as the six-coordinate NpO (OH) (91). Aqueous solutions of each oxidation state can be prepared by chemical oxidants or reductants... 

M. N. Myers, Mbsorption Spectra of Plutonium and Impurity Ions in Nitric Mcid Solution, HW-44744, General Electric Co., 1956. 

In experiments where Mono Lake water was acidified to remove carbonate and bicarbonate ions and again adjusted to pH 10, more than 90 percent of the soluble plutonium moved to the sediment phase. When carbonate ion concentration was restored, the plutonium returned to solution—strong evidence of the importance of inorganic carbon to solubility in that system(13). Early studies with Lake Michigan water, which has low DOC, had also implicated bicarbonate and carbonate as stabilizing ligands for plutonium at pH 8(14). This latter research characterized the soluble species as mainly anionic in character. 

Nitrite ion is often used in plutonium solvent extraction systems to oxidize Pu(III) to Pu(IV) and to reduce Pu(VI) to Pu(IV). But HONO, produced in HN03 media, is extractable into TBP-diluent systems and can interfere with subsequent reductive stripping of plutonium. There is thus a need to find a reagent comparable to nitrite ion in its reactions with Pu(III) and Pu(VI), but which does not extract into TBP solutions. 

Many oxidation states of the actinides are poorly stable or stable only under certain conditions. Great care must thus be taken in preparing samples for relaxometry studies. Working under the same chemical conditions with different actinides in the same oxidation state is sometimes impossible. Plutonium is particularly noteworthy because it is the only element in the Mendeleev table that can exist simultaneously in solution in four different oxidation states. This unusual situation stems from the fact that the ions and PuO have a tendency to undergo dismuta-... 

As mentioned in the Introduction, the actinyl ions are not stable under all chemical conditions. Plutonium can coexist in solution in several oxidation states, the stability of which often depends strongly on acidity (26). As a result, great care must be taken to obtain pure solutions of PuOl(27). On the other hand, the neptunyl ion NpO is the most stable form of neptunium in aqueous solution. It is noteworthy that the exchange between the oxygen atoms of PuO and H20 is very slow (ti/2 > 10 h) (25), whereas it is quite fast (h/2 2.2 s) in the case of NpO. ... 

Heat capacity data for ions in aqueous solution over the temperature range 25-200°C. Such data for ionic species of uranium, plutonium, other actinides and various fission products such as cesium, strontium, iodine, technetium, and others are of foremost interest. 

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