Extraction studies of uranium(VI), plutonium(IV) and americium(III) from nitric acid using the bi-functional carbamoyl methyl sulfoxide ligands.

The extraction behavior of new bi-functional ligands containing sulfoxide and amide groups viz. N,N'-dibutyl carbamoyl methyl phenyl sulfoxide (L1) and N,N'-dibutyl carbamoyl methyl benzyl sulfoxide (L2) towards the U(VI), Pu(IV) and Am(III) ions from nitric acid was studied. Both of these extractants showed appreciable extractions for U(VI) and Pu(IV) from 1 to 9.5 M nitric acid concentrations. Am(III) did not show an appreciable extraction under the conditions studied. The species extracted from a nitric acid medium correspond to the compositions of [UO2(NO3)(2).2L] and [Pu(NO3)4.2L] for L1 and a mixture of [UO2(NO3)(2).2L], [UO2(NO3)2.L] and [Pu(NO3)(4).2L] for the L2. The conditional extraction constant (Kex) values for the Pu(IV) with L1 and L2 were estimated for the first time, and found to be 6.21 x 10(2) and 5.64 x 10(2) mol(-4) dm, respectively.