Sorption of uranium(VI) onto ferric oxides in sulfate-rich acid waters.
The mechanisms of the uranium(VI) sorption on schwertmannite and goethite in acid sulfate-rich solutions were studied by Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The samples were prepared under N2 atmosphere and initial uranium(VI) concentrations of 1 x 10(-5) (pH 6.5) to 5 x 10(-5) M (pH 4.2). The ionic strength was adjusted using 0.01 M Na2SO4 or 0.01 M NaClO4, respectively. The EXAFS structural parameters for uranium(VI) sorbed on goethite in sulfate-rich, acid and near-neutral solutions indicate that uranium(VI) forms an inner-sphere, mononuclear, bidentate surface complex. This complex is characterized by a uranium-ferric-iron distance of approximately 3.45 A. Ura…
Spectroscopic characterization of alkaline earth uranyl carbonates
A series of alkaline uranyl carbonates, M[UO{sub 2}(CO{sub 3}){sub 3}].nH{sub 2}O (M=Mg{sub 2}, Ca{sub 2}, Sr{sub 2}, Ba{sub 2}, Na{sub 2}Ca, and CaMg) was synthesized and characterized by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) after nitric acid digestion, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and thermal analysis (TGA/DTA). The molecular structure of these compounds was characterized by extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Crystalline Ba{sub 2}[UO{sub 2}(CO{sub 3}){sub 3}].6H{sub 2}O was obtained for the first time. The EXAFS analysis showed that this compound consists of …