氮川三乙酰三辛胺对硝酸溶液中Th(Ⅳ)和U(Ⅵ)的萃取

Extraction of Th(Ⅳ) and U(Ⅵ) from Nitric Acid Solutions by N,N,Nꞌ,Nꞌ,Nꞌꞌ,Nꞌꞌ-hexaoctylnitrilotriacetamide

  • 摘要: 高纯度钍对于生产233U和225Ac等关键放射性核素至关重要。然而,自然界中钍常与铀和稀土元素共生,即便是商用的钍试剂通常也含有微量的铀和稀土杂质,在将232Th转变为233U或225Ac的过程中,如果钍的纯度不足,会阻碍中子或质子的吸收,从而降低转化效率。目前,生产高纯度钍的主要挑战在于从粗制钍产品中分离去除这些微量杂质。为此,本文研发了一种新型胺-酰胺萃取剂氮川三乙酰三辛胺(N,N,Nꞌ,Nꞌ,Nꞌꞌ,Nꞌꞌ-hexaoctylnitrilotriacetamide,NTAamide(n-Oct)),用于钍的纯化。以正十二烷作稀释剂,研究了NTAamide(n-Oct)对硝酸溶液中Th(Ⅳ)和U(Ⅵ)的萃取行为,重点考察了酸度、萃取剂浓度和温度等因素对萃取的影响。在所考察的酸度范围(0.1~6.0 mol/L)内,NTAamide(n-Oct)对Th(Ⅳ)的萃取显著优于U(Ⅵ),对Th(Ⅳ)表现出优异的选择性,且随着水相中U/Th离子浓度比的减小,萃取Th(Ⅳ)的选择性更高,在高纯钍的制备方面展示了良好的应用前景。斜率分析表明,NTAamide(n-Oct)与Th(Ⅳ)和U(Ⅵ)均形成了1∶1型萃合物。温度升高,萃取分配比下降,25 °C条件下Th(Ⅳ)和U(Ⅵ)的萃取均为放热的自发过程,但Th(Ⅳ)的萃取伴随熵增,而U(Ⅵ)的萃取则伴随熵减。此外,还通过红外和单晶X射线衍射分析研究了NTAamide配体与Th(Ⅳ)的配位行为。结果表明,配体分子中的3个羰基O原子和中心胺N原子均参与了与Th(Ⅳ)的配位,形成1∶1型配合物,与溶剂萃取结果一致。硝酸介质中,NTAamide(n-Oct)对Th(Ⅳ)和U(Ⅵ)的萃取,均遵循中性络合萃取机制。

     

    Abstract: High-purity thorium is essential for producing key radioactive nuclides such as 233U and 225Ac. However, thorium naturally co-occurs with uranium and rare earth elements (REE) in minerals like monazite. Even commercial thorium reagents typically contain trace uranium and REE impurities. Insufficient thorium purity during the conversion of 232Th to either 233U or 225Ac can impede neutron or proton absorption, reducing conversion efficiency. Consequently, the primary challenge in producing high-purity thorium lies in separating and removing these trace impurities from crude thorium products. Currently, solvent extraction serves as the principal method for Th/U separation, widely used for thorium purification due to its efficiency, operational simplicity, and cost-effectiveness. Common extractants include neutral phosphorus compounds (e.g., tributyl phosphate (TBP)) and amine extractants (e.g., tricaprylmethyl ammonium chloride (Aliquat 336)). While TBP serves as a low-cost, extensively used option, it suffers from moderate extraction ability, constrained separation efficiency, and relatively high aqueous solubility. Amine extractants such as Aliquat 336 offer excellent thorium selectivity but exhibit poor solubility in common alkane diluents (e.g., kerosene, n-dodecane), necessitating phase modifiers. Due to its low loaded capacity, even with modifiers, emulsification or third-phase formation frequently occurs in systems with high aqueous-phase metal ion concentrations, severely limiting applicability. To address this, a novel extractant of N,N,N',N',N'',N''-hexaoctyl- nitrilotriacetamide (NTAamide(n-Oct)) was developed for isolating high-purity thorium in nitric acid medium containing uranium and REE. In the present work, using n-dodecane as a diluent, the extraction of Th(Ⅳ) and U(Ⅵ) from nitric acid solutions by NTAamide(n-Oct) was investigated, focusing mainly on the effects of acidity, extractant concentration, and temperature. Within the acidity range of 0.1-6.0 mol/L, NTAamide(n-Oct) exhibits significantly higher extraction for Th(Ⅳ) than U(Ⅵ), demonstrating excellent selectivity for Th(Ⅳ). This selectivity further increases as the U(Ⅵ)/Th(Ⅳ) ratio in the aqueous phase decreases, demonstrating a promising application prospect in the preparation of high-purity thorium. Slope analysis indicates the formation of 1∶1 complexes between NTAamide(n-Oct) and both metal ions. Increasing temperature reduces the distribution ratios, confirming that the extraction of Th(Ⅳ) and U(Ⅵ) is exothermic and spontaneous. However, Th(Ⅳ) extraction is accompanied by an entropy increase, while U(Ⅵ) extraction shows an entropy decrease. Additionally, infrared spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveal that coordination involves all three carbonyl oxygen atoms and the central amine nitrogen atom of the NTAamide ligand with Th(Ⅳ), forming a 1∶1 complex consistent with solvent extraction results. In nitric acid medium, the extraction of Th(Ⅳ) and U(Ⅵ) by NTAamide(n-Oct) follows a neutral complexation extraction model.

     

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