Plutonium(III) fluoride

Plutonium(III) fluoride or plutonium trifluoride is the chemical compound composed of plutonium and fluorine with the formula PuF3. This salt 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]

Plutonium(III) fluoride
Unit cell, ball and stick model of plutonium(III) fluoride
Names
IUPAC name
Plutonium(III) fluoride
Systematic IUPAC name
Plutonium(3+) fluoride
Other names
Plutonic fluoride

Plutonium fluoride

Plutonium trifluoride
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
  • InChI=1S/3FH.Pu/h3*1H;/q;;;+3/p-3 checkY
    Key: DBYIUAMLRDFZJJ-UHFFFAOYSA-K checkY
  • [F-].[F-].[F-].[Pu+3]
Properties
F3Pu
Molar mass 301 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 otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

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, Florida: 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, vol. 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, doi:10.2172/5318991, OSTI 5318991
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