Behavior of UO2 in a room-temperature ionic liquid in the presence of AlCl3

A study was made of interaction between AlCl₃ and room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) [C₈H₁₅N₂][N(SO₂CF₃)₂], or BuEtIm-Tf₂N, and of anodic dissolution in RTIL of UO₂ and of a simulated oxide fuel at 297–302 K, depending on the AlCl₃ concentration. It was shown that anodic dissolution of UO₂ pellets and a UO₂-Al mixture in RTIL yields soluble uranium species. Potentiostatic electrolysis of the resulting solutions can yield uranium compounds at the cathode, though with low current efficiencies. The role of AlCl₃ in these processes was suggested. A heterophase reaction between UO₂ and AlCl₃ was studied, depending on the content of AlCl₃ in solution. It was found that the exchange reaction products, soluble uranium species, are accumulated in solution only at the molar ratio AlCl₃/Tf₂N > 1.Translated from Radiokhimiya, Vol. 46, No. 6, 2004, pp. 536–539.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Smolenskii, Bove, Borodina, Bychkov, Osipenko.