Absorption spectrophotometric and X-ray diffraction studies of the trichlorides of berkelium-249 and californium-249

Journal Article · Wed Oct 08 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · Inorg. Chem.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ic00241a015· OSTI ID:7004203

Peterson, J R; Young, J P; Ensor, D D; Haire, R G

Absorption spectrophotometric and X-ray powder diffraction methods have been applied to a study of the trichlorides of /sup 249/Bk and /sup 248/Cf and their relationship through the ..beta.. decay of /sup 249/Bk. BkCl/sub 3/ has been prepared for the first time in the PuBr/sub 3/-type orthorhombic modification by quenching from the melt. Each of the crystal forms (UCl/sub 3/-type hexagonal and PuBr/sub 3/-type orthorhombic) of BkCl/sub 3/ and CfCl/sub 3/ has been characterized on the basis of its solid-state absorption spectrum. The orthorhombic forms of BkCl/sub 3/ and CfCl/sub 3/ are the high-temperature modifications with respect to the hexagonal phases, with the apparent transition temperatures near the melting points of BkCl/sub 3/ (876 K) and CfClnumber (818 K). Orthorhombic BkCl/sub 3/ transmutes to orthorhombic CfCl/sub 3/ and hexagonal BkCl/sub 3/ transmutes to hexagonal CfCl/sub 3/. Thus, it was found that both the oxidation state and the crystal structure of the parent /sup 249/Bk compound were retained by the daughter /sup 249/Cf compound through ..beta.. decay in the bulk phase solid state. 11 references, 5 figures.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville
• DOE Contract Number: AS05-76ER04447
• OSTI ID: 7004203
• Journal Information: Inorg. Chem.; (United States), Vol. 25:21
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
BERKELIUM CHLORIDES
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
VALENCE
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
CALIFORNIUM CHLORIDES
BERKELIUM 249
CALIFORNIUM 249
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BERKELIUM COMPOUNDS
BERKELIUM ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CALIFORNIUM COMPOUNDS
CALIFORNIUM ISOTOPES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COHERENT SCATTERING
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIFFRACTION
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
SCATTERING
SPECTROSCOPY
TRANSPLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
400702* - Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry- Properties of Radioactive Materials