Plutonium(III) fluoride

Plutonium(III) fluoride
Names
IUPAC name
Plutonium(III) fluoride
Systematic IUPAC name
Plutonium(3+) fluoride
Other names
Plutonic fluoride

Plutonium fluoride

Plutonium trifluoride
Identifiers
13842-83-6 Yes
ChemSpider 123138 Yes
Jmol-3D images Image
PubChem 139624
Properties
Molecular formula
 F3Pu
Molar mass 301.06 g·mol−1
Appearance Violet, opaque crystals
Density 9.3 g cm−3
Melting point 1,396 °C (2,545 °F; 1,669 K)[1]
Boiling point 2,000 °C (3,630 °F; 2,270 K) (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 is given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C (77 °F), 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, p. 113, ISBN 0-8493-0594-2, retrieved 2008-06-20
  2. ↑ Chemistry: Periodic Table: Plutonium: compound data (plutonium (III) fluoride), WebElements, 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 0-8493-6805-7, OCLC 21197603, retrieved 2008-06-20
  5. ↑ Winchester, R. S. (1957), Aqueous Decontamination of Plutonium from Fission Product Elements (PDF), Los Alamos, NM: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California (published 1958), pp. 9–10, retrieved 2008-06-20
  6. ↑ Martella, L. L.; Saba, M. T.; Campbell, G. K. (1984), Laboratory-scale evaluations of alternative plutonium precipitation methods, United States Office of Scientific and Technical Information, retrieved 2008-06-20