AN UNUSUAL EXTRACTION BEHAVIOR OF AMERICIUM(III) AND DIOXO-URANIUM(VI) FROM PICRIC ACID-MEDIUM USING NEUTRAL OXO DONORS

The ion-pair extraction behaviour of americium(III) and dioxouranium(V I) ions using chloroform solution of tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) and d i-n-octyl sulphoxide (DOSO) from picric acid medium in the pH range of 2.4-4.1 was studied. The species extracted were found to be Am(L)(3)( X)(3) and UO2(L)(2)(X)(2) for the trivalent americium and hexavalent u ranyl ion respectively, where L = TBP or DOSO and X represents the pic rate anion. An unusual separation behaviour is observed with TBP where the trivalent americium ion is extracted to a much greater extent tha n the hexavalent uranyl ion (D-Am/D-U value similar to 50). DOSO, on t he other hand, exhibits vastly different extraction behaviour of the t wo actinide ions suggesting stronger interaction of uranyl ion with th is ligand.