Plutonium(III) fluoride

Plutonium(III) fluoride
IUPAC name

Plutonium(III) fluoride
Systematic name

Plutonium(3+) fluoride
Other names

Plutonic fluoride

Plutonium fluoride

Plutonium trifluoride
Identifiers
CAS number 13842-83-6 Y
PubChem 139624
ChemSpider 123138 Y
Jmol-3D images Image 1
Properties
Molecular formula F3Pu
Molar mass 301.06 g mol−1
Exact mass 300.995 g mol-1
Appearance Violet, opaque crystals
Density 9.3 g cm-3
Melting point

1396 °C, 1669 K, 2545 °F ([1])
Boiling point

2000 °C, 2273 K, 3632 °F (decomposes[2])
Related compounds
Other anions Plutonium(III) chloride
Other cations Samarium(III) fluoride
Related fluoroplutoniums Plutonium tetrafluoride

Plutonium hexafluoride
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Plutonium(III) fluoride or plutonium trifluoride is the chemical compound composed of plutonium and fluorine with the formula PuF3. It forms violet crystals. Plutonium(III) fluoride has the LaF3 structure where the coordination around the plutonium atoms is complex and usually described as tri-capped trigonal prismatic.[3]

Reactions

A plutonium(III) fluoride precipitation method has been investigated as an alternative to the typical plutonium peroxide method of recovering plutonium from solution, such as that from a nuclear reprocessing plant.[4] A 1957 study by the Los Alamos National Laboratory reported a less effective recovery than the traditional method[5], while a more recent study sponsored by the United States Office of Scientific and Technical Information found it to be one of the more effective methods[6].

Plutonium(III) fluoride can be used for manufacture of the plutonium-gallium alloy instead of more difficult to handle metallic plutonium.

References

  1. ^ Lide, David R. (1998), Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (87 ed.), Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 113, ISBN 0849305942, http://books.google.com/?id=lFjg0L-uOxoC&pg=PT1110&dq=%22Plutonium(III)+fluoride+%22, retrieved 2008-06-20 
  2. ^ Chemistry: Periodic Table: Plutonium: compound data (plutonium (III) fluoride), WebElements, http://202.114.88.54/g/web18/wangluo/webelements/webelements/compounds/text/pu/f3pu1-13842836.html, retrieved 2008-06-20 
  3. ^ Wells A.F. (1984) Structural Inorganic Chemistry 5th edition Oxford Science Publications ISBN 0-19-855370-6.
  4. ^ Gupta, C. K.; Mukherjee, T. K. (1990), Hydrometallurgy in Extraction Processes, 2, CRC Press, pp. 206–208, ISBN 0849368057, OCLC 21197603, http://books.google.com/?id=IV4iOAESyTMC&pg=PA206&lpg=PA206&dq=%22plutonium+peroxide%22, retrieved 2008-06-20 
  5. ^ Winchester, R. S. (1957), written at Los Alamos, NM, Aqueous Decontamination of Plutonium from Fission Product Elements, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California (published 1958), pp. 9–10, http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/lib-www/la-pubs/00191208.pdf, retrieved 2008-06-20 
  6. ^ Martella, L. L.; Saba, M. T.; Campbell, G. K., Laboratory-scale evaluations of alternative plutonium precipitation methods, United States Office of Scientific and Technical Information (published 1984), http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=5318991, retrieved 2008-06-20