Plutonium(IV) nitrate

Plutonium(IV) nitrate

Names
Other names Plutonium tetranitrate
Identifiers
CAS Number	13823-27-3^Y 53745-09-8 (^238Pu)^Y (^239Pu): 13968-56-4^Y 55252-44-3 (hydrates)^Y (trihydrate): 159472-02-3^Y (pentahydrate): 61204-24-8^Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image (pentahydrate): Interactive image
PubChem CID	(^239Pu): 150308 (pentahydrate): 129762960
InChI InChI=1S/4NO3.Pu/c4*2-1(3)4;/q4*-1;+4 Key: XOQIPTFXWRJKPQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N (trihydrate): InChI=1S/4NO3.5H2O.Pu/c4*2-1(3)4;;;;;;/h;;;;5*1H2;/q4*-1;;;;;;+4 Key: OHJOWNGCXJSPGF-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES [N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[Pu+4] (pentahydrate): [N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[N+](=O)([O-])[O-].O.O.O.O.O.[Pu+4]
Properties
Molar mass	492.02
Appearance	Dark green crystals (hydrates)
Solubility in water	Soluble
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards	Extremely toxic(T+) and radioactive; carcinogen
GHS labelling:
Pictograms
Signal word	Warning
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)	4 2 0
Related compounds
Related compounds	Neptunium(IV) nitrate
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Plutonium (IV) nitrate is an inorganic compound, a salt of plutonium and nitric acid with the chemical formula Pu(NO₃)₄. The compound dissolves in water and forms crystalline hydrates as dark green crystals.^[1][2]

Synthesis

Crystals of dark green to black-green composition Pu(NO₃)₄•5H₂O precipitate with a slow (months) evaporation of a solution of a plutonium (IV) compound in nitric acid.^[3][4]

Physical properties

Plutonium (IV) nitrate forms a crystalline hydrate of the composition Pu(NO₃)₄•5H₂O—dark green crystals of rhombic crystal structure, space group F dd2, cell parameters: a = 1.114 nm, b = 2.258 nm, c = 1.051 nm, Z = 8.

Crystalline hydrate melts in its own crystallization water at 95–100 °C.

It dissolves well in nitric acid (dark green solution) and water (brown solution). Also dissolves in acetone and ether.

Chemical properties

When heated to 150–180 °C, it decomposes with autooxidation to plutonium (VI) with the formation of plutonyl nitrate (PuO₂(NO₃)₂). Upon evaporation of concentrated nitric acid solutions of plutonium nitrate and alkali metal nitrates, double nitrates of the composition Me₂[Pu(NO₃)₆] are formed, where Me = Cs⁺, Rb⁺, K⁺, Tl⁺, NH₄⁺, analogous to ceric ammonium nitrate.

Toxicity

Plutonium nitrate is both radioactive and extremely toxic due to its high solubility in water.

References

1. Allen, P. G.; Veirs, D. K.; Conradson, S. D.; Smith, C. A.; Marsh, S. F. (January 1996). "Characterization of Aqueous Plutonium(IV) Nitrate Complexes by Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy". Inorganic Chemistry. 35 (10): 2841–2845. doi:10.1021/ic9511231. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
2. Kubic, William; Jackson, J. (9 March 2012). "A thermodynamic model of plutonium (IV) nitrate solutions". Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry. 293 (2): 601–612. doi:10.1007/s10967-012-1703-4. ISSN 1588-2780. S2CID 94704456. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
3. Baroncelli, F.; Scibona, G.; Zifferero, M. (1 November 1962). "The extraction of Pu(IV) nitrate by long chain tertiary amines nitrates". Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry. 24 (5): 541–546. doi:10.1016/0022-1902(62)80241-3. ISSN 0022-1902. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
4. Nakahara, Masaumi; Kaji, Naoya; Yano, Kimihiko; Shibata, Atsuhiro; Takeuchi, Masayuki; Okano, Masanori; Kuno, Takehiko (2013). "Nitric Acid Concentration Dependence of Dicesium Plutonium(IV) Nitrate Formation during Solution Growth of Uranyl Nitrate Hexahydrate". Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan. 46: 56–62. doi:10.1252/jcej.12we175. Retrieved 16 August 2021.