Plutonium tetrafluoride

Impure plutonium oxide residues are dissolved in 12M HN03-0.1M HF under refluxing conditions, and then the plutonium is recovered and purified by anion exchange. Plutonium is leached from other residues, such as metal and glass, and is also purified by anion exchange. The purified plutonium eluate from the anion exchange process is precipitated with hydrogen peroxide. The plutonium peroxide is calcined to the oxide, and the plutonium oxide is fluorinated. The plutonium tetrafluoride is finally reduced to the metal with calcium. 

Conner, W. V. "Process Studies on the Reduction of Plutonium Tetrafluoride to Metal," U.S. AEC Rept. RFP-728, Dow Chemical Company, Golden, Colorado, May 11, 1966. 

A. Process Schematic. A schematic of the main process sequence for the conversion of plutonia scrap to high-purity metal is shown in Figure 2. Plutonia scrap is fed to both the direct oxide reduction (DOR) process and the plutonium tetrafluoride production/ reduction process. 

Figure 5. Plutonium tetrafluoride reduction slag and product metal.

Plutonium tetrafluoride is prepared from plutonium dioxide by the following reaction at temperatures between 400 and 600 °C ... 

Plutonium tetrafluoride, 19 689 Plutonium tribromide, 19 690 Plutonium trichloride, 19 690 Plutonium triiodide, 19 690 Plutonium-uranium-oxygen system, 25 423-424... 

Analysis of the Crystal-Field Spectra of the Actinide Tetrafluorides. I. Uranium, Neptunium, and Plutonium Tetrafluorides (UF4, NpF4, and PUF4), W.T. Camall, G.K. Liu, C.W. Williams, andM.F. Reid../. Chem. Phys. 95, 7194-7203 (1991). 

Plutonium Tetrafluoride Production and Reduction. In PUF4 production/reduction, plutonia is fed first to an HF reaction furnace where the PUO2 is converted to PUF4. The PUF4 is reacted with calcium metal in the presence of iodine to form plutonium metal, CaF2, and Calcium and iodine react first to... 

Plutonium oxide, PuO (CAS 12035-83-5) Plutonium dioxide, PuOi (CAS 12059-95-9) Plutonium nitride, PuN (CAS 12033-54-4) Plutonium tetrafluoride, Pup4 (CAS 13709-56-3) Plutonium hexafluoride, PuF6 (CAS 13693-06-6)... 

Plutonium tetrafluoride. Precipitation of Pup4 by adding hydrofluoric acid to a Pu(IV) nitrate solution is impractical because the hydrated precipitate PUF4 -23H20 is amorphous and difflcult to Alter, and it is difficult to dehydrate to the anhydrous material necessary for subsequent reduc-... 

Although the existence of a volatile higher fluoride of plutonium had been surmised from tracer experiments, positive evidence of the existence of PuF6 was obtained by Florin (31) who first prepared the compound. An investigation of the preparation and properties of PuF6 was also conducted by Mandleberg et al. (58). but in recent years the compound has been most intensively studied by Weinstock and his collaborators. Plutonium hexafluoride can be prepared by a variety of procedures similar to those used for the preparation of uranium hexafluoride. The most widely used method consists in the fluorination of plutonium tetrafluoride with elemental fluorine. Whereas uranium hexafluoride can be prepared by the analogous reaction at 300°, and neptunium hexafluoride at 500°, the preparation of plutonium hexafluoride by this reaction appears to require a... 

Plutonium metal is obtained by metallothermic reduction of plutonium dioxide (PuG ) or plutonium tetrafluoride (PuFJ in a molten salt such as CaCl with molten calcium as a re-ductant and in an argon or helium inert atmosphere to prevent oxidation using magnesia crucibles. 

Systems containing PuFa. The behavior of plutonium fluorides in molten fluoride mixtures has received considerably less study. Plutonium tetrafluoride will probably prove very soluble, as have UF4 and ThF4, in suitable fluoride-salt diluents, but is likely to prove too strong an oxidant to be compatible with presently available structural alloys. The trifluoride of plutonium dissolves to the extent of 0.25 to 0.45 mole % in LiF-BeF2 mixtures containing 25 to 50 mole % Bel T. As indicated in Chapter 14, it is belie ed that such concentrations are in excess of those required to fuel a high-temperature plutonium burner. 

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