Radiolytic stabilities of hydrophilic and lipophilic ligands for mutual separation of Am/Cm/Ln

Sugo, Yumi; Sasaki, Yuji  ; Ishioka, Noriko

The mutual separation of Am/Cm/Ln is quite difficult to establish due to their very similar chemical behavior, same oxidation state, and similar ionic radii. We have developed a new technique using the combination of the hydrophilic and lipophilic ligands dissolved in aqueous and organic phases. This technique is very useful for the mutual separation of Am/Cm/Ln, due to the multiplier effect. In this study, several kinds of hydrophilic and lipophilic derivatives of diglycolamide (DGA), dioxaoctanediamide (DOODA), and nitrilotriacetamide (NTA) were synthesized and dissolved in water or n-dodecane. These aqueous and organic solutions were irradiated with Co -rays. It was found that the radiolytic stabilities are not correlated with the differences in the alkyl chain length at the amidic N and in the structure of the central framework.