CHEM 418 Nuclear Chemistry, Winter 2016: Lecture 14 Plutonium Chemistry

This lecture provides basic information on the chemistry of plutonium.  Discussion on the nuclear properties of 238Pu and 239Pu are included.  Environmental concentrations of plutonium, including244Pu and naturally produced 239Pu, are discussed.  Large scale plutonium separations are presented, emphasizing the PUREX (Links to an external site.)process.  The use of volatility and ion exchange as plutonium separation techniques are also given.  The synthesis and properties are metallic plutonium are described in detail.  An review of metal preparation methods are provided, including the plutonium-gallium phase diagram. The physical properties of plutonium metal are given and discussed. The solution chemistry of plutonium is depicted though coordination and spectroscopy as a function of oxidation state.  Examples are provided on various nature of plutonium chemistry in the tributylphosphate-nitric acid system and colloids.  The non-aqueous chemistry of plutonium is described and related to electronic structure.