A screening method of uranyl extractants in H2SO4 solutions

International audienceAbstract A UV–Vis spectrophotometric and colorimetric screening method was developed for the selection of powerful and selective ligands for the uranyl ion in sulfuric acid media. The coordinating properties of a series of molecules (mono and bisphosphonate) toward UO22+ were examined through ligand displacement reactions observed by UV–visible from the ArzH4–UO22− reference complex where Na2ArzH6 is a chromogenic molecule displaying a strong affinity for uranium. Uranium/iron selectivity was evaluated by recovering the screening data from two independent sets of experiments using two different chromogenic chelates: arsenazo III for uranium(VI) and BrPADAP for iron(III). As a result, two bisphosphonate ligands among a set of more than 50 phosphonate molecules were found to display a good affinity for UO22+ and relevant U/Fe selectivity at pH = 2.1

The role of humic substances on trace element mobility in natural environments and applications for radionuclides

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Effect of mixed pendant groups on the solution properties of 12-membered azapyridinomacrocycles : Evaluation of the protonation constants and the stability constants of the europium (III) complexes

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Aqueous solutions of Uranium (VI) as studied by time-resolved emission spectroscopy: a round-robin test

Results of an inter-laboratory round-robin study of the application of time-resolved emission spectroscopy (TRES) to the speciation of uranium(VI) in aqueous media are presented. The round-robin study involved 13 independent laboratories, using various instrumentation and data analysis methods. Samples were prepared based on appropriate speciation diagrams and, in general, were found to be chemically stable for at least six months. Four different types of aqueous uranyl solutions were studied: (1) acidic medium where UO2 21 aq is the single emitting species, (2) uranyl in the presence of fluoride ions, (3) uranyl in the presence of sulfate ions, and (4) uranyl in aqueous solutions at different pH, promoting the formation of hydrolyzed species. Results between the laboratories are compared in terms of the number of decay components, luminescence lifetimes, and spectral band positions. The successes and limitations of TRES in uranyl analysis and speciation in aqueous solutions are discussed