Albrecht-Schmitt Group, Florida State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Tallahassee, FL Nuclear waste is an ongoing issue and concern worldwide. One of the main nuclear waste sites in the US is the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Eventually this site will be closed, and it is of primary concern what reactions will end up occurring once the transuranic elements become integrated into the earth. In lieu of this, many studies are being done in order to determine what actinide compounds will be formed in the soil. Borates are amongst the most prevalent anionic species in the WIPP repository. Consequently, they are the predominant complex to form with the trivalent f-block elements under WIPP conditions. However, direct analysis of these complexes remains difficult due to the rarity and stability challenges present. Here, we examine a series of lanthanide borates. These lanthanide complexes serve as analogs to the actinide complexes that are expected to form. After successful synthesis of these compounds, charge density studies will be done in order to further probe the covalency of bonding in these compounds. In this way, we can begin understanding the fundamental chemistry and challenges involved in nuclear waste processing.

Lanthanide and actinide borates for nuclear waste

254th National Meeting (2017)

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