Radiochemistry of Uranium

360 Pages·2000·10.94 MB·English

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National
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National Research Council
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NUCLEAR SCIENCE SERIES
The Radiochemistry
of Uranium
COMMITTEE ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE
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The Rcdiochemistry of Uranium
JAMES E. GINDLER
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, Illinois
IssuanceDate:March1962
LIBRARIES
PROPERTY
Subcommitteeon Radochemistry
NationalAcademy ofSciences—National Research Council
...
..;,
Pric$e3.Q whichistheminimum orderprice for eithar one,
twu, or three rendomly mlectad publicationsin the NAS-NS
=ias. Additional individualmpieswill becoldinincramentaof
threeforS3.00. Availablefrom:
NationalTechnicalInformationservice
U.S. DepartmentofCommarm
Springfield,Virginia22151
The Subcommittee on Radlochemistry Is one of a number of
aubcommltteeB working under the Committee on Nuclear Science
wlthln the National Academy of Sciences - National Research
council . Its members represent government, Industrial, and
university laboratories In the areas of nuclear chemistry and
analytical chemistry
The Subcommittee has concerned ltBelf with those areas of
nuclear ec~ence whtch tivolve the chemlBt, Buch as the uollec-
tlon and dlstrlbutlon of radioohemlcal procedures, the estab-
lishment of Speolflcatlons for radlochemlcally pure reagent’8,
availability of cyclotron time for service irradiations, the
place of radlochemlstry in the undergraduate college program,
etc.
This series of monographs has grown out of the need for
up-t~-date compllat~ons of radlochemlcal Information and pro-
cedures. The Subcommittee has endeavored to present a series
which will be of maximum use to the worktig solentlst and
which contatis the latest available Information. Each mono-
graph collecte in one volume the pertinent Information required
for radlochemlcal work with an Individual element or a group of
closely related elements.
An expert in the radiochemistry of the putloular elemerrt
has written the monograph, followlng a standard format developed
by the Subcommittee. The Atomic Energy Commlsslon has sponsored
the prlntlng of the series.
The Subcommittee Is confident these publications wI1l be
useful not only to the radlochemist but also to the research
worker In other fields such as physics, biochemistry or medlclne
who wishes to use rad~ochem~cal techniques to solve a specific
problem.
W. Wayne Meinke, chairman
Subcommittee on Radlochemlstry
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INTRODUCTION
This volume which deals with the radlochemlstry of
uranium Is one of a aerles of monographs on radlochemlstry
of the elements. There Is included a review of the nuclear
and chetical features of particular Interest to the radlo-
chemlst, a discussion of problems of dissolution of a sample
and counting techniques, and finally, a collection of radlo-
chemical procedures for the element as found In the”litera-
ture.
The series of monographs will cover all elements for
which radlochemlcal procedures are pertinent. Plans Include
revision of the monograph periodically aa new technlquefland
procedures warrant. The reader Is therefore encouraged to
call to the.attention of the author any publlshed or unpub-
lished material on the radiochemlstry of uranium which might
be Included In a revised version of the monograph.
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CONTENTS
I. General Reviews of’the Inorganlo and Analytiml chemistry
of Uranium 1
II. General Retiewe of the Radloohemietry of Uranium 3
III. Table of Isotopes of Urantum 3
Iv. Review of Those Features of Uranium Chemistry of Chlei’
IntereBt to the Radloohemiat 5,
A. Metallic uranium 5
1. Preparation 5
;. PhyOloal propertlea 6
. chemical properties 6
B. Compound6 of Uranium 7
c. The Chemistry of Uranium In Solutlon 14
1. oxidation states 14
2. Complex ion formation 21
3. Non-aqueous solutions of uranium 30
D. Separation of Ubanium 39
Preclpltation 40”
& Solvent extraction 60
EtherB, eaters, ketones, aridaloohola 63
OrganophoBphorus oompoundo 122 .
Amines and quaternery _niuiu wilts ’169
Carboxylla acids 100
Chelating agents 182
3. Ion exohange 202
Anion exchange 204
Cation axohange 222
4. Chromat@raphy 227
5* Volatilization 231
6. Eleotroohemical metkds 232
7. Pyrometallurgical prooesset3 235
,E. Determination of’Uknium 236
1. Counting teohnique~ 236
.2. S&mple preparation 241
3. Activation analyei8 248
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F. Dissolution of lJr@niumSamples 252
1. Metallio uranium 252
2. Alloys of uranium 254
3. Compounde of urantum 254
Mt?teoritea,minerals, and orem 255
;: Blologloal samples 256
. Air dust mmplea 256
v. Colleotlon of Detailed ~ooedures
257
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The Radiochemistry of Uranium
JAMES E. GINDLER
Argonne National Labw-story
Argonne, Illinois
1. General Revlewa of the Inorganic and Analytical Chemletry of
uranium .
1. J. W. Mellor, “Uranium” In “A Comprehensive Treatise on
Inorganic and Theoretical Chemlstw, ” Volume XII, Chapter
LXIII, pp. 1-13B, LongmanB Green and Company, London, 1932.
2. R. J. Meyer and E. Pletach, !TGmellnsHandbuch der Anorg~-
Iachen Chemle,” 8th Edition, system No. 55, Verlag Chemle,
G.m.b.H., Berlln, 1936.
3. N. V. Sldgwlck, “Uranium” In “The Chemical Elements and
Their Compounds,” pp. 1069-1086, Clarendon Press, Oxford,
1950.
4. C. J. Rodden and J. C. Warf, “Uranlwn” In “Analytical
Chemistry of the Manhattan Project,” National Nuclear
Ener~ Series, Dlvlslon VIII, Volume 1, Chapter 1, pp. 3-
159, c. J. Rodden, Ed., McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New
York, 1950.
5. J. J. Katz and E. Rablnowltz, ‘!~e chemistry of UraniumJ “
National Nuclear Energy Series, Division VIII, Volume 5,
McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, 1951.
6. G. T. Seaborg, “The Actlnlde Series” In “Comprehensive
Inorganic Chemistry, ” Volume I, Chapter 3, pp. 161-223,
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M. C. Sneed, J. L. Maynard, and R. C. Braf3ted,Ed., D.
van Nostrand Company, Inc., New York, “1953.
7. H. R. Hoekstra and J. J. Katz, “The Chemistry of Uranium”
in “The Actinide Elements, ” National Nuclear Energy Series,
Dlvlsion 17J,Volume 14A, Chapter 6, pp. 130-188, G. T.
Seaborg ad J. J. Katz, Ed., McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc.,
New York, 1954,
8.” J. J. Katz and G. T. Seaborg, “The Chen@stry of the Acttilde
Elements, “ Chapter V, pp. 94-203, John Wiley and Sons,
Inc., New York, 1957.
9. “Uranium,“ R. Calllat and J. Elston, Directors, In “Nouveau
Traite de Chemle Min%rale, ” Part I, Volume XV, P. Pascal,
Diz?ector,Masson et Cie, Parle, 1960. part II, 1961.
10. G. Meister, “Uranium” In “Rare Metals Handbook, ” Chapter
26, pp. 501.571, C. A. Hampel, Ed., Reinhold Publishing
Corp., New York, 1954.
11. L. Grainger, “Uranium and Thorium,“ George Newnes Limited,
London, 1958.
IIfiy~icalMetallurgy of UraniumJ “ Addison-
12. A. N. Holden,
Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., Reading, Mass., 1958.
13. “Uranium Ore Processing,” J. W. Clegg and D. D. Foley, Ed.,
Addison-Wesley Publishing Compsmy, Inc., Reading, Mass.,.
1958.
14. “Uranium” in “Scott!s Standard Methods of Chemical Analy-
sis,“ Volume I, pp. 1017-1027, N. H. Furman, Ed., D. van
Nostrand Co., Inc., New York$ 1939.
150 TID-5223, Production and Separation of U233, Collected
Papers, Part 1 md Part 2, L. I. Katzin, Ed., 1952.
16. TID-5290, Chemistry of Uraniwn, Collected Papers, Book 1
and &ok 2, J. J. Katz and E. Rabinowitz, Ed., 1958.
17. Q. H. Morrison and H. Frei6er, “Solvent Extraction in
Analytical Chemistry,1!Jo~ Wiley and ‘onsj Inc., New
York, 1957.
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