Plutonium(III) fluoride

Plutonium(III) fluoride
Names

IUPAC name Plutonium(III) fluoride
Systematic IUPAC name Plutonium(3+) fluoride
Other names Plutonic fluoride Plutonium fluoride Plutonium trifluoride
Identifiers
CAS Number	13842-83-6^Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	123138^Y
PubChem CID	139624
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID60930112
InChI InChI=1S/3FH.Pu/h3*1H;/q;;;+3/p-3^Y Key: DBYIUAMLRDFZJJ-UHFFFAOYSA-K^Y
SMILES [F-].[F-].[F-].[Pu+3]
Properties
Chemical formula	F₃Pu
Molar mass	301 g·mol⁻¹
Appearance	Violet, opaque crystals
Density	9.3 g cm⁻³
Melting point	1,396 °C (2,545 °F; 1,669 K)^[2]
Boiling point	2,000 °C (3,630 °F; 2,270 K) (decomposes)^[1]
Related compounds
Other anions	Plutonium(III) chloride
Other cations	Samarium(III) fluoride
Related fluoroplutoniums	Plutonium tetrafluoride Plutonium hexafluoride
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Chemical compound

Plutonium(III) fluoride or plutonium trifluoride is the chemical compound composed of plutonium and fluorine with the formula PuF₃. This salt forms violet crystals. Plutonium(III) fluoride has the LaF₃ structure where the coordination around the plutonium atoms is complex and usually described as tri-capped trigonal prismatic.^[3]

Reactions

A plutonium(III) fluoride precipitation method has been investigated as an alternative to the typical plutonium peroxide method of recovering plutonium from solution, such as that from a nuclear reprocessing plant.^[4] A 1957 study by the Los Alamos National Laboratory reported a less effective recovery than the traditional method,^[5] while a more recent study sponsored by the United States Office of Scientific and Technical Information found it to be one of the more effective methods.^[6]

Plutonium(III) fluoride can be used for manufacture of the plutonium-gallium alloy instead of more difficult to handle metallic plutonium.

References

^ Chemistry: Periodic Table: Plutonium: compound data (plutonium (III) fluoride), WebElements, retrieved 2008-06-20^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Lide, David R. (1998), Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (87 ed.), Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, p. 113, ISBN 0-8493-0594-2, retrieved 2008-06-20
^ Wells A.F. (1984) Structural Inorganic Chemistry 5th edition Oxford Science Publications ISBN 0-19-855370-6.
^ Gupta, C. K.; Mukherjee, T. K. (1990), Hydrometallurgy in Extraction Processes, vol. 2, CRC Press, pp. 206–208, ISBN 0-8493-6805-7, OCLC 21197603, retrieved 2008-06-20
^ Winchester, R. S. (1957), Aqueous Decontamination of Plutonium from Fission Product Elements (PDF), Los Alamos, NM: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California (published 1958), pp. 9–10, retrieved 2008-06-20
^ Martella, L. L.; Saba, M. T.; Campbell, G. K. (1984), Laboratory-scale evaluations of alternative plutonium precipitation methods, United States Office of Scientific and Technical Information, doi:10.2172/5318991, OSTI 5318991