During his distinguished career in actinide science, Lester Morss is best known for his work in actinide thermodynamics, emphasizing the properties of binary compounds. For some portion of his active research career, Lester applied his deep understanding of thermodynamics to studies of lanthanide and actinide complexation by polydentate chelating agents relevant to separations applications. His work on tetramethylpyridyl ethylene diamine (TPEN) and on tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid addressed the separation potential of polyaza complexing agents and of the effects of ligand structure on actinide-lanthanide selectivity. These themes are of continuing interest in the development of new separation reagents for actinide separations in advanced nuclear fuel cycles. In this presentation, Lester's contributions to this field will be discussed in the context of continuing efforts to advance the science of ligand design for separations applications.

Ligand design in aqueous separation systems of lanthanides and actinides

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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