EXTRACTION OF AMERICIUM AND FISSION PRODUCT LANTHANIDES WITH CYANEX 272 AND CYANEX 301

Abstract

The extraction of tracer Am(III) with macro amounts of Ce(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III) and Eu(III) has been studied using Cyanex 272 and Cyanex 301 in heptane. For extraction by Cyanex 272, the average separation factor of Am/Nd was 0.82, while that for Am/Eu was 0.088. However, for the Cyanex 301 extraction, separation factors of 810 for Am/Nd and 840 for Am/Eu were obtained. The separation values are not affected by the concentration of the extractant but decrease as the loading of the lanthanide increases in the organic phase. The hypersensitive absorption spectrum of the complex of Nd with Cyanex 301 in the heptane solvent indicates the formation of a Nd-S bond. The extractions by HDEHP under the same conditions are compared with that of Cyanex 272 and 301.