Uranium(VI) and Ruthenium Extraction by Dialkyldithio-Phosphoric Acids

Abstract

Oxygen donors like dialkylphosphoric acids are good extractants for actinide ions, but little is known about their sulfur homologs. In this paper investigations of U(VI) and Ru extraction from various aqueous media are reported. This includes extraction of U(VI) from nitric, perchloric, and phosphoric acids by solutions of dialkyldithiophosphoric acids in dodecane or benzene. Extraction of U(VI) by synergistic mixtures, of which at least one of the components is a sulfur donor, has been investigated. The extracted species have been identified, and a comparison with the complexes obtained by extraction with the homologous oxygen donors is made. The sulful-actinide bond is weaker than the oxygen-actinide one, but in some synergistic extractions the dialkyldithlophosphonates are more efficient than the oxygen donors. In addition to size effects, this behavior could be attributed to the weakness of the hydrogen bonds of the SH groups, which allows a greater variety of the ligands to enter the coordination sphere of the metal. Ruthenium, like the d-transitiori elements, gives strong bonds with the sulfur donors. However, its extraction from nitric acid is slow. We investigated the influence of several parameters on the distribution coefficients and found that the presence of a reagent which destroys nitrous ions is necessary to achieve quantitative extraction. The role of RuNO groups is also discussed.