Americium metal preparation on the multigram scale

Conference · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5444-1_24· OSTI ID:6214892

Reavis, J G; Apgar, III, S A; Mullins, L J

It was demonstrated that americium metal of approximately 99.5% purity can be produced on the 20- to 25-g scale by lanthanum reduction of the oxide in a very simple apparatus. As predicted from relative vapor pressures, volatile metal impurities such as calcium and magnesium accompany the americium during distillation. The major impurity detected was lanthanum at a concentration predicted for the equilibrium vapor composition above lanthanum metal containing 1% americium. It is speculated that higher purity americium might be produced if distillation were to be discontinued earlier, with no attempt at quantitative recovery of the metal.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6214892
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-84-3755; CONF-841210-6; ON: DE85003735
• Resource Relation: Journal Volume: 1; Conference: International chemical congress of Pacific Basin Societies, Honolulu, HI, USA, 16 Dec 1984; Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AMERICIUM
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
AMERICIUM OXIDES
IMPURITIES
LANTHANUM
REDUCTION
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
AMERICIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RARE EARTHS
SYNTHESIS
TRANSPLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
400700* - Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry
360101 - Metals & Alloys- Preparation & Fabrication