Synthesis of Symmetric Dithiophosphinic Acids for "Minor Actinide" Extraction
New dithiophosphinic acid (DPAH) derivatives were isolated using a synthetic pathway which provides the control of regiochemistry and/or stereochemistry of the products. The synthesis improves DPAH designs that can address the issues about the separation between trivalent actinides and lanthanides. The synthesis is straightforward and gives good yields via isolation of the DPAH as the ammonium salt. Multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray structure determination are used for the identification of both the ammonium salt and free acid of the dithiophosphinic derivatives. The DPAH products are stable when exposed to the atmosphere for long periods. In addition, the bis(o-trifluoromethylphenyl)dithiophosphinic acid showed very little degradation when contacted with water and nitric acid for prolonged periods. The most important finding is that bis(o-trifluoromethylphenyl)dithiophosphinic acid selectively extracts trivalent actinides from lanthanides at higher acidities with separation factors of over 125,000 at pH 2.8. Overall, these improvements will help enable the development of advanced reprocessing technologies that allow for complete actinide recycling and minimization of nuclear waste.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 936868
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-07-12303; ICHAA3; TRN: US0805717
- Journal Information:
- Inorganica Chimica Acta, Vol. 361, Issue 8; ISSN 0020-1693
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Comparison of Dithiophosphinic and Phosphinic Acid Derivatives for Minor Actinide Extraction
Comparison of Aromatic Dithiophoshinic and Phosphinic Acid Derivatives for Minor Actinide Extraction