1 solubility residual valences

Uranium Purification. Subsequent uranium cycles provide additional separation from residual plutonium and fission products, particularly zirconium— niobium and mthenium (30). This is accompHshed by repeating the extraction/stripping cycle. Decontamination factors greater than 10 at losses of less than 0.1 wt % are routinely attainable. However, mthenium can exist in several valence states simultaneously and can form several nitrosyl—nitrate complexes, some for which are extracted readily by TBP. Under certain conditions, the nitrates of zirconium and niobium form soluble compounds or hydrous coUoids that compHcate the Hquid—Hquid extraction. SiUca-gel adsorption or one of the similar Hquid—soHd techniques may also be used to further purify the product streams. 

Los Alamos is processing a wide variety of residues, including Pu-Be neutron sources, polystyrene-Pu02-U02 blocks, incinerator ash, Pu-U alloys and oxides, Pu-Zr alloys and oxides, Pu-Np alloys and oxides, Pu-Th alloys and oxides, etc. Processes have been developed for these scrap items (see Figure 2), but we need to know more about Pu-Np separations Pu-Th separations oxalate precipitations for both plus 3 and plus 4 valences valence stabilization dissolution methods for high-fired impure oxides in-line alpha monitors to measure extremely low concentrations of Pu and Am in HNO3 solutions and solubility of various mixtures of Pu02 and UO2 under a variety of conditions. 

The monazite sand is heated with sulfuric acid at about 120 to 170°C. An exothermic reaction ensues raising the temperature to above 200°C. Samarium and other rare earths are converted to their water-soluble sulfates. The residue is extracted with water and the solution is treated with sodium pyrophosphate to precipitate thorium. After removing thorium, the solution is treated with sodium sulfate to precipitate rare earths as their double sulfates, that is, rare earth sulfates-sodium sulfate. The double sulfates are heated with sodium hydroxide to convert them into rare earth hydroxides. The hydroxides are treated with hydrochloric or nitric acid to solubihze all rare earths except cerium. The insoluble cerium(IV) hydroxide is filtered. Lanthanum and other rare earths are then separated by fractional crystallization after converting them to double salts with ammonium or magnesium nitrate. The samarium—europium fraction is converted to acetates and reduced with sodium amalgam to low valence states. The reduced metals are extracted with dilute acid. As mentioned above, this fractional crystallization process is very tedious, time-consuming, and currently rare earths are separated by relatively easier methods based on ion exchange and solvent extraction. 

Acrylic and modacrylic fibers are produced by either dry or wet spinning. As a result of the strong interraolecular attractions present in the acrylics, the only solvents that are suitable are those that are very polar and thus capable of disrupting these secondary valence bonds. These include Af.AT-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfone, dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethyl acetamide. Modacrylics, however, are soluble in more volatile, lower polarity solvents such as acetone. After spinning the residual solvent in acrylics must be removed by washing, and the fibers are drawn either dry (in a hot air oven or over-heated rolls at 80-110 °C) or wet (in steam or hot water at 70-100 °C). Finally the yarns must be dried... 

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