Extraction of Uranyl Nitrate and Thorium Nitrate by Organic Solvents (open access)

Extraction of Uranyl Nitrate and Thorium Nitrate by Organic Solvents

Abstract. The separation of uranyl nitrate from aqueous solutions of 0.635 M thorium nitrate, 3 M nitric acid and 3 M calcium nitrate by extraction with organic solvents has been investigated. Solvents which gave good separations were 2-tthyl hexyl acetate, ethyl benzoate, n-butyl either and beta-beta- dichloroethyl ether. In general, higher esters, ethers and alcohols are better for separating uranium from thorium that the lower homologues. Several solvents were tested at lower nitric acid concentrations. Dibutyl cellosolve gave a very good separation when the solution was 0.1 M nitric acid. Of the solvent mixtures studied that of equal parts of n-butyl ether and dibutyl cellosolve gave a good separation.
Date: November 5, 1945
Creator: Johnson, O. & Newton, A. S.
System: The UNT Digital Library