Uranyl , acidity

The effect is more than just a matter of pH. As shown in Fig. XV-14, phospholipid monolayers can be expanded at low pH values by the presence of phosphotungstate ions [123], which disrupt the stmctival order in the lipid film [124]. Uranyl ions, by contrast, contract the low-pH expanded phase presumably because of a type of counterion condensation [123]. These effects caution against using these ions as stains in electron microscopy. Clearly the nature of the counterion is very important. It is dramatically so with fatty acids that form an insoluble salt with the ion here quite low concentrations (10 M) of divalent ions lead to the formation of the metal salt unless the pH is quite low. Such films are much more condensed than the fatty-acid monolayers themselves [125-127]. 

The larger cations of Group 1 (K, Rb, Cs) can be precipitated from aqueous solution as white solids by addition of the reagent sodium tetraphenylborate, NaB(C( H5)4. Sodium can be precipitated as the yellow sodium zinc uranium oxide ethanoate (sodium zinc uranyl acetate). NaZn(U02)3(CH3C00)y. 9H2O. by adding a clear solution of zinc uranyl acetate in dilute ethanoic acid to a solution of a sodium salt. 

TBP and nitric acid also tend to form a complex with each other, but at sufftcientiy high uranyl nitrate concentrations the nitric acid is mainly displaced into the aqueous phase. 

Uranium ores are leached with dilute sulfuric acid or an alkaline carbonate [3812-32-6] solution. Hexavalent uranium forms anionic complexes, such as uranyl sulfate [56959-61-6], U02(S0 3, which are more selectively adsorbed by strong base anion exchangers than are other anions in the leach Hquors. Sulfate complexes are eluted with an acidified NaCl or ammonium nitrate [6484-52-2], NH NO, solution. Carbonate complexes are eluted with a neutral brine solution. Uranium is precipitated from the eluent and shipped to other locations for enrichment. Columnar recovery systems were popular in South Africa and Canada. Continuous resin-in-pulp (RIP) systems gained popularity in the United States since they eliminated a difficult and cosdy ore particle/leach hquor separation step. 

The solvent, a solution of either sulfuric acid or sodium carbonate, forms the stable complex uranyl ions U02(S04) "2) U02(SO ) )... 

Actinide Peroxides. Many peroxo compounds of thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, and americium are known (82,89). The crystal stmctures of a number of these have been deterrnined. Perhaps the best known are uranium peroxide dihydrate [1344-60-1/, UO 2H20, and, the uranium peroxide tetrahydrate [15737-4-5] UO 4H2O, which are formed when hydrogen peroxide is added to an acid solution of a uranyl salt. 

Raffinate acid from the first cycle, containing approximately 7 to 14 g/L U Og is then reoxidized and re-extracted in the second, purification cycle using a solvent containing 0.3 Af D2EHPA and 0.075 AfTOPO. The loaded solvent is washed with iron-free acid to remove iron and then with water to remove extracted and entrained acid. The solvent is stripped with ammonium carbonate [506-87-6] to yield ammonium uranyl tricarbonate [18077-77-5] which is subsequendy calcined to U Og (yellow cake). The stripped solvent is regenerated with mineral acid before recycling (39). 

Ion Excha.nge, The recovery of uranium from leach solutions using ion exchange is a very important process (42). The uranium(VI) is selectively adsorbed to an anion-exchange resin as either the anionic sulfato or carbonato complexes. In carbonate solutions, the uranyl species is thought to be the tris carbonato complex, U02(C03) 3 [24646-13-7] and from sulfate solutions the anion is likely to be U02(S0 , where nis ) [56959-61-6] or 2 [27190-85-8], The uranium is eluted from the resin with a salt or acid solution of 1 AfMCl or MNO (M = H", Na", The sulfate solution is... 

In TBP extraction, the yeUowcake is dissolved ia nitric acid and extracted with tributyl phosphate ia a kerosene or hexane diluent. The uranyl ion forms the mixed complex U02(N02)2(TBP)2 which is extracted iato the diluent. The purified uranium is then back-extracted iato nitric acid or water, and concentrated. The uranyl nitrate solution is evaporated to uranyl nitrate hexahydrate [13520-83-7], U02(N02)2 6H20. The uranyl nitrate hexahydrate is dehydrated and denitrated duting a pyrolysis step to form uranium trioxide [1344-58-7], UO, as shown ia equation 10. The pyrolysis is most often carried out ia either a batch reactor (Fig. 2) or a fluidized-bed denitrator (Fig. 3). The UO is reduced with hydrogen to uranium dioxide [1344-57-6], UO2 (eq. 11), and converted to uranium tetrafluoride [10049-14-6], UF, with HF at elevated temperatures (eq. 12). The UF can be either reduced to uranium metal or fluotinated to uranium hexafluoride [7783-81-5], UF, for isotope enrichment. The chemistry and operating conditions of the TBP refining process, and conversion to UO, UO2, and ultimately UF have been discussed ia detail (40). 

Are caustic materials processed If these are released and contact people either as a vapor or liquid severe health hazards result. For example, uranyl fluoride forms hydrofluoric acid in the lungs. 

Spectrophotometric methods may often be applied directly to the solvent extract utilising the absorption of the extracted species in the ultraviolet or visible region. A typical example is the extraction and determination of nickel as dimethylglyoximate in chloroform by measuring the absorption of the complex at 366 nm. Direct measurement of absorbance may also be made with appropriate ion association complexes, e.g. the ferroin anionic detergent system, but improved results can sometimes be obtained by developing a chelate complex after extraction. An example is the extraction of uranyl nitrate from nitric acid into tributyl phosphate and the subsequent addition of dibenzoylmethane to the solvent to form a soluble coloured chelate. 

Solution A dissolve 20g crystallised uranyl acetate U02(C2H302)2,2H20 in 4mL glacial acetic acid and 100 mL water (warming may be necessary). 

Uranyl Nitrate (Uranium Nitrate, UNH, Yellow Salt). U02(N03)2.6H20, mw 502.18, N 5.58% yellow rhomb crysts, greenish luster by reflected light mp 60.2°, bp 118°, d 2.807g/cc, RI 1.4967. Sol in 1.5p w, freely in ale and eth. Prepd by the action of nitric acid on U octoxide. When shaken, rubbed, or crushed, the crysts show remarkable triboluminescence with occasional detonations. It is highly toxic, and a severe fire and expln risk when shocked or heated,... 

Conceptual Flowsheet for the Extraction of Actinides from HLLW. Figure 5 shows a conceptual flowsheet for the extraction of all the actinides (U, Np, Pu, Am, and Cm) from HLLW using 0.4 M 0< >D[IB]CMP0 in DEB. The CMPO compound was selected for this process because of the high D m values attainable with a small concentration of extractant and because of the absence of macro-concentrations of uranyl ion. Distribution ratios relevant to the flowsheet are shown in previous tables, IV, V, VI, and VII and figures 1 and 2. One of the key features of the flowsheet is that plutonium is extracted from the feed solution and stripped from the organic phase without the addition of any nitric acid or use of ferrous sulfamate. However, oxalic acid is added to complex Zr and Mo (see Table IV). The presence of oxalic acid reduces any Np(VI) to Np(IV) (15). The presence of ferrous ion, which is... 

Identical kinetics are found for the uranyl ion-catalysed aerobic oxidation of ascorbic acid and a similar mechanism has been put forward These results and others afford a sequence of catalytic activity for the aerobic oxidation of ascorbic acid ... 

Czerwinski KR, Buckau G, Scherbaum F, Kim JI (1994) Complexation of the uranyl ion with aquatic humic acid. Radiochim Acta 65 111-119... 

It is interesting to note that some metal ions may exist in solution partly as cationic and partly as anionic species. The uranyl ion is a good example. From sulfate solution it is possible to extract species such as U02(S04)2 with amines. The uranyl cation, on the other hand, can be extracted with acidic extractants such as D2EHPA. 

The incorporation of anions, as for example, S04 , CO2-, etc., makes leaching possible through the formation of stable uranyl (VI) oxyanions. In sulfate leaching, an observation of the potential-pH diagram for the uranium system reveals that uranium species in solution may be in the form of cations U02+, neutral species U02(S04)2 or anions U02(S04)4-. The oxidation of uraninite, U02, in acid solutions, transforming U(IV) to U(VI), yields soluble uranyl sulfate through the reaction as shown below ... 

The extractant is di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (DEHPA) in conjuction with trioctyl phosphine oxide (TOPO). Stripping is by ammonium carbonate, and uranium precipitates as ammonium uranyl tricarbonate. The mixture shows a synergistic effect. The mixture is stable, and extracts uranium in hexavalent state. 

Partial regeneration of the product of the electrode reaction by a disproportionation reaction is characteristic for the reduction of the uranyl ion in acid medium, which, according to D. H. M. Kern and E. F. Orleman and J. Koutecky and J. Koryta, occurs according to the scheme... 

A second method of solving the kinetics dilemna consists of driving a polymerization reaction to completion by removing a volatile coproduct as in the case of uranyl dicarboxylate polymers from uranyl acetate and the dicarboxylic acid (5) ... 

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