Complexation of Nd(III) with tetraborate ion and its effect on actinide (III) solubility in WIPP brine

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1524/ract.2010.1756· OSTI ID:1000929

Borkowski, Marian ^[1]; Richmann, Michael K ^[1]; Reed, Donald T ^[1]; Yongliang, Xiong ^[2]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory
2. SNL

The potential importance of tetraborate complexation on lanthanide(III) and actinide(III) solubility is recognized in the literature but a systematic study of f-element complexation has not been performed. In neodymium solubility studies in WIPP brines, the carbonate complexation effect is not observed since tetraborate ions form a moderately strong complex with neodymium(III). The existence of these tetraborate complexes was established for low and high ionic strength solutions. Changes in neodymium(III) concentrations in undersaturation experiments were used to determine the neodymium with tetraborate stability constants as a function of NaCl ionic strength. As very low Nd(III) concentrations have to be measured, it was necessary to use an extraction pre-concentration step combined with ICP-MS analysis to extend the detection limit by a factor of 50. The determined Nd(III) with borate stability constants at infinite dilution and 25 C are equal to log {beta}{sub 1} = 4.55 {+-} 0.06 using the SIT approach, equal to log {beta}{sub 1} = 4.99 {+-} 0.30 using the Pitzer approach, with an apparent log {beta}{sub 1} = 4.06 {+-} 0.15 (in molal units) at I = 5.6 m NaCl. Pitzer ion-interaction parameters for neodymium with tetraborate and SIT interaction coefficients were also determined and reported.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1000929
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-10-01667; LA-UR-10-1667; TRN: US1100261
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
ACTINIDES
BORATES
BRINES
CARBONATES
DILUTION
NEODYMIUM
SENSITIVITY
SOLUBILITY
STABILITY
WIPP