Separation of Americium and Curium by Chromatographic Technique Using Tertiary Pyridine Type Resin

Combined Radiation Detection Methods for Assay of Higher Actinides in Separation Processes

Monitoring of transuranic actinides (TRU–includes neptunium, plutonium, americium, and curium) during the separation of used nuclear fuel has been identified as a critical research area in the U.S. Advanced Fuel Cycle Research and Development program (AFC R&D). Recycling of used fuel by chemically separating it into uranium, fission products, and TRU would be the first step in this new fuel cyc...

Chelation and stabilization of berkelium in oxidation state +<sc>IV</sc>

Berkelium (Bk) has been predicted to be the only transplutonium element able to exhibit both +III and +IV oxidation states in solution, but evidence of a stable oxidized Bk chelate has so far remained elusive. Here we describe the stabilization of the heaviest 4+ ion of the periodic table, under mild aqueous conditions, using a siderophore derivative. The resulting Bk(IV) complex exhibits lumin...

Chemical Speciation of Strontium, Americium, and Curium in High-Level Waste: Predictive Modeling of Phase Partitioning During Tank Processing

Emergence of californium as the second transitional element in the actinide series

A break in periodicity occurs in the actinide series between plutonium and americium as the result of the localization of 5f electrons. The subsequent chemistry of later actinides is thought to closely parallel lanthanides in that bonding is expected to be ionic and complexation should not substantially alter the electronic structure of the metal ions. Here we demonstrate that ligation of calif...

Toward Understanding the Thermodynamics of TALSPEAK Process -- Medium Effects on Actinide Complexation

The ingenious combination of lactate and diethylenetriamine-N,N,N’,N”,N”pentaacetic acid (DTPA) as an aqueous actinide-complexing medium forms the basis of the successful separation of americium and curium from lanthanides known as the TALSPEAK process. While numerous reports in the prior literature have focused on the optimization of this solvent extraction system, considerably less attention ...