Element 104 / Rutherfordium / Liquid-liquid extraction / Transactinide chemistry / KurchatoviumAbstract Liquid-liquid extractions of element 104 (Rf), Zr, Nb, Hf, Th, and Pu(IV) were conducted using tributylphosphate (TBP) in benzene. Initial studies were conducted using 95 Zr and 95 Nb. The effect of TBP, HCl, chloride, and hydrogen ion concentrations on Zr and Nb extraction was examined. Based on the results from these experiments, it was decided to examine Rf extraction into 0.25 M TBP in benzene as a function of HCl, chloride, and hydrogen ion concentrations between 8 and 12 M. Studies of these extraction conditions were carried out using 95 Zr, 169 Hf, 228 Th, 238 Pu, and 26, Rf. The 65-second 261 Rf was produced via the 248 Cm( 18 0,5n) reaction at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The results show that extraction for these elements increases or remains high as a function of HCl concentration. However, in the experiments in which the chloride and hydrogen ion were varied, Rf extraction differed from that of the group 4 elements and behaved more like Pu(IV).

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The reaction mechanism and kinetics of the thermal decomposition of uranium dinitride/uranium sesquinitride to uranium mononitride under inert atmosphere at elevated temperature were studied. An increase in the lattice parameter of the UN(2)/alpha-U(2)N(3) phase was observed as the reaction temperature increased, corresponding to a continuous removal of nitrogen. Electron density calculations for these two compounds using XRD powder patterns of the samples utilizing charge-flipping technique were performed for the first time to visualize the decrease in nitrogen level as a function of temperature. Complete decomposition of UN(2) into alpha-U(2)N(3) at 675 degrees C and the UN formation after a partial decomposition of alpha-U(2)N(3) at 975 degrees C were also identified in this study. The activation energy for the decomposition of the UN(2)/alpha-U(2)N(3) phase into UN, 423.8 +/- 0.3 kJ/mol (101.3 kcal/mol), was determined under an inert argon atmosphere and is reported here experimentally for the first time.

The superbulky deca-aryleuropocene [Eu(Cp(BIG))2], Cp(BIG) = (4-nBu-C6H4)5-cyclopentadienyl, was prepared by reaction of [Eu(dmat)2(thf)2], DMAT = 2-Me2N-α-Me3Si-benzyl, with two equivalents of Cp(BIG)H. Recrystallizyation from cold hexane gave the product with a surprisingly bright and efficient orange emission (45% quantum yield). The crystal structure is isomorphic to those of [M(Cp(BIG))2] (M = Sm, Yb, Ca, Ba) and shows the typical distortions that arise from Cp(BIG)⋅⋅⋅Cp(BIG) attraction as well as excessively large displacement parameter for the heavy Eu atom (U(eq) = 0.075). In order to gain information on the true oxidation state of the central metal in superbulky metallocenes [M(Cp(BIG))2] (M = Sm, Eu, Yb), several physical analyses have been applied. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility data of [Yb(Cp(BIG))2] show diamagnetism, indicating stable divalent ytterbium. Temperature-dependent (151)Eu Mössbauer effect spectroscopic examination of [Eu(Cp(BIG))2] was examined over the temperature range 93-215 K and the hyperfine and dynamical properties of the Eu(II) species are discussed in detail. The mean square amplitude of vibration of the Eu atom as a function of temperature was determined and compared to the value extracted from the single-crystal X-ray data at 203 K. The large difference in these two values was ascribed to the presence of static disorder and/or the presence of low-frequency torsional and librational modes in [Eu(Cp(BIG))2]. X-ray absorbance near edge spectroscopy (XANES) showed that all three [Ln(Cp(BIG))2] (Ln = Sm, Eu, Yb) compounds are divalent. The XANES white-line spectra are at 8.3, 7.3, and 7.8 eV, for Sm, Eu, and Yb, respectively, lower than the Ln2O3 standards. No XANES temperature dependence was found from room temperature to 100 K. XANES also showed that the [Ln(Cp(BIG))2] complexes had less trivalent impurity than a [EuI2(thf)x] standard. The complex [Eu(Cp(BIG))2] shows already at room temperature strong orange photoluminescence (quantum yield: 45 %): excitation at 412 nm (24,270 cm(-1)) gives a symmetrical single band in the emission spectrum at 606 nm (νmax =16495 cm(-1), FWHM: 2090 cm(-1), Stokes-shift: 2140 cm(-1)), which is assigned to a 4f(6)5d(1) → 4f(7) transition of Eu(II). These remarkable values compare well to those for Eu(II)-doped ionic host lattices and are likely caused by the rigidity of the [Eu(Cp(BIG))2] complex. Sharp emission signals, typical for Eu(III), are not visible.

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Chemical signatures correlated with uranium oxide processing are of interest to forensic science for inferring sample provenance. Identification of temporal changes in chemical structures of process uranium materials as a function of controlled temperatures and relative humidities may provide additional information regarding sample history. In this study, a high-purity α-U3O8 sample and three other uranium oxide samples synthesized from reaction routes used in nuclear conversion processes were stored under controlled conditions over 2-3.5 years, and powder X-ray diffraction analysis and X-ray absorption spectroscopy were employed to characterize chemical speciation. Signatures measured from the α-U3O8 sample indicated that the material oxidized and hydrated after storage under high humidity conditions over time. Impurities, such as uranyl fluoride or schoepites, were initially detectable in the other uranium oxide samples. After storage under controlled conditions, the analyses of the samples revealed oxidation over time, although the signature of the uranyl fluoride impurity diminished. The presence of schoepite phases in older uranium oxide material is likely indicative of storage under high humidity and should be taken into account for assessing sample history. The absence of a signature from a chemical impurity, such as uranyl fluoride hydrate, in an older material may not preclude its presence at the initial time of production. LA-UR-15-21495.

The isotope (99)Tc (β(max), 293.7; half-life, 2.1 × 10(5) years) is an abundant product of uranium-235 fission in nuclear reactors and is present throughout the radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at the Hanford and Savannah River sites. Understanding and controlling the extensive redox chemistry of (99)Tc is important in identifying tunable strategies to separate (99)Tc from spent fuel and from waste tanks and, once separated, to identify and develop an appropriately stable waste form for (99)Tc. Polyoxometalates (POMs), nanometer-sized models for metal oxide solid-state materials, are used in this study to provide a molecular level understanding of the speciation and redox chemistry of incorporated (99)Tc. In this study, (99)Tc complexes of the (α(2)-P(2)W(17)O(61))(10-) and (α(1)-P(2)W(17)O(61))(10-) isomers were prepared. Ethylene glycol was used as a "transfer ligand" to minimize the formation of TcO(2)·xH(2)O. The solution structures, formulations, and purity of Tc(V)O(α(1)/α(2)-P(2)W(17)O(61))(7-) were determined by multinuclear NMR. X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the complexes is in agreement with the formulation and structures determined from (31)P and (183)W NMR. Preliminary electrochemistry results are consistent with the EXAFS results, showing a facile reduction of the Tc(V)O(α(1)-P(2)W(17)O(61))(7-) species compared to the Tc(V)O(α(2)-P(2)W(17)O(61))(7-) analog. The α(1) defect is unique in that a basic oxygen atom is positioned toward the α(1) site, and the Tc(V)O center appears to form a dative metal-metal bond with a framework W site. These attributes may lead to the assistance of protonation events that facilitate reduction. Electrochemistry comparison shows that the Re(V) analogs are about 200 mV more difficult to reduce in accordance with periodic trends.

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