The PUREx process is the nuclear fuel recycling procedure which operates by initiating a change in properties of specific radioactive materials so that they may be efficiently separated and extracted from nuclear waste. One variation of this process is to coordinate 5f-elements with chelating agents and remove the complex based on the properties of the ligand or the product as a whole. In the late nineties, formohydroxamate (FHA) was believed to provide novel coordination environments for uranyl(VI) for fuel recycling purposes, though no materials characterization techniques were performed on this complex. In this presentation, the red uranyl(VI)(FHA)2 complex will be discussed thoroughly, providing experimental and computational insight into the unique properties of the structure. Extension of the peculiar nature of the FHA ligand continues with Pu(FHA)4, whose structure can be described as a molecular dimer, and whose charge-transfer band largely encompasses most of the visible spectrum and low-energy ultraviolet. Experimental and computational results will be discussed for Pu(FHA)4. The unique properties of this pair of actinides offers potentially interesting coordination environments for transuranic elements.

Effects of strong π-donors on actinides: bent uranyl(VI) and molecular Pu(IV)

249th National Meeting (2015)

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