Uranium binary compound properties

The actinides are reactive metals, typified by the reactions of thorium and uranium shown in Figures 10.1 and 10.2. These binary compounds frequently have useful properties. Thus, choosing examples from thorium chemistry, Th2S3 is a high-temperature crucible material, ThN is a superconductor, and Th3P4 and Th3As4 are semiconductors. 

Binary compounds can be made with uranium. Such solids state compounds have been investigated because they have interesting magnetic properties. They are made by direct interaction with uranium metal. Oxides mainly form with the general formula UO2, UjOg, UO2. The metal also reacts with other elements such as boron, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and arsenic to make semi-metallic solids. Compounds can also be made using silicon, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium. Urinates can be formed by the addition of uranium with alkali and alkaline Earth metals. 

Any discussion of uranium and its chemical properties should refer to the classic 1951 book by Katz and Rabinowitch that was the first publication that provided a comprehensive description of the chemical and physical properties of uranium the element and its binary and related compounds (Katz et al. 1951). More than 60 years later, and despite the considerable developments and extensive research on the chemistry of uranium, this tome is still an excellent primary source. The section on uranium in the series on actinide and trans-actinide chemistry (ATAC) was mentioned earlier as a superb source for understanding the behavior of uranium compounds (Grenthe 2006). A less-known volume that focused on the industrial and technological applications of uranium was translated from Russian in the 1960s and also is useful (although somewhat outdated in parts) for following the production processes of uranium (Galkin 1966). 

The thermodynamic data, Gibbs energies, enthalpies and entropies of formation of intermetallic compounds have been obtained from a literature search. We have also consulted the handbook Selected values of thermodynamic properties of binary alloys by Hultgren et al. (1973a) and a compilation of thermodynamic data on transition metal based alloys done by de Boer et al. in 1988. For the actinide-based alloys a literature search and a critical analysis of the data was done by Rand and Kubaschewski (1963) for uranium compounds, by Rand et al. (1966) for plutonium alloys, by Rand et al. (1975) for thorium alloys, and more recently by Chiotti et al. (1981) for binary actinide alloys. We have included in our review the data obtained from the original publications and also the assessed data of Chiotti et al. (1981) when they were different. 

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