ƒ-Element Complexation in Brine Solutions

Recent advances in the detection of specific natural organic compounds as carriers for radionuclides in soil and water environments, with examples of radioiodine and plutonium

Among the key environmental factors influencing the fate and transport of radionuclides in the environment is natural organic matter (NOM). While this has been known for decades, there still remains great uncertainty in predicting NOM-radionuclide interactions because of lack of understanding of radionuclide interactions with the specific organic moieties within NOM. Furthermore, radionuclide-NOM studies conducted using modelled organic compounds or elevated radionuclide concentrations provide compromised information related to true environmental conditions. Thus, sensitive techniques are required not only for the detection of radionuclides, and their different species, at ambient and/or far-field concentrations, but also for potential trace organic compounds that are chemically binding these radionuclides. GC-MS and AMS techniques developed in our lab are reviewed here that aim to assess how two radionuclides, iodine and plutonium, form strong bonds with NOM by entirely different mechanisms; iodine tends to bind to aromatic functionalities, whereas plutonium binds to N-containing hydroxamate siderophores at ambient concentrations. While low-level measurements are a prerequisite for assessing iodine and plutonium migration at nuclear waste sites and as environmental tracers, it is necessary to determine their in-situ speciation, which ultimately controls their mobility and transport in natural environments. More importantly, advanced molecular-level instrumentation (e.g., nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI-FTICRMS) were applied to resolve either directly or indirectly the molecular environments in which the radionuclides are associated with the NOM.

Actinide binding by Kläui ligands: REDOX speciation and sorption on an extraction chromatography resin

The sorption of Eu(III) and actinide ions in various oxidation states from nitric acid solutions by an extraction chromatography resin containing 1 wt. % of the Kläui ligand Cp*Co[P(O)(OR)2]3−[Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, R=–CH2CH2CH3] on Amberlite®XAD-7HP was examined. At 0.3 M HNO3and a metal-to-ligand ratio of 0.07, the relative affinity of the resin for the ions investigated followed the order: tetravalent»hexavalent>trivalent>pentavalent; however, the relative affinity for the trivalent and hexavalent ions can be reversed, depending on the extent of ligand loading and the nitric acid concentration. The sorption of the tetravalent ions was exceptionally strong in the entire range of nitric acid concentration examined (0.2 to 8 M HNO3). The large difference in the affinity of the resin with the Kläui ligand for tetravalent actinides compared to hexavalent actinides is unusual for ligands with the P=O donor moiety.

Resin samples loaded with various actinide ions were examined spectrophotometrically. No Np(V) and Pu(III) species were identified on the resin; rather, reduction–oxidation (REDOX) reactions occurred during equilibration, resulting in their complete conversion to M(IV) species bound by the Kläui ligand. Similarly, the sorption behavior of Pu(VI) and Np(VI) was complicated by their reduction to M(IV) upon sorption. The observed REDOX processes were apparently driven by the extremely high affinity of the Kläui ligand for the tetravalent ions. The acid–base properties of the methyl derivative of the Kläui ligand were investigated in aqueous solution, and its pKawas found to be highly dependent upon the solution ionic strength. The binding constants of this ligand with various actinide ions measured in a mixed methanol/carbon tetrachloride solvent exhibited qualitative agreement with the sorption selectivity trends.