Photooxidation of trivalent americium in nitric acid

Matsuda, Shohei  ; Yokoyama, Keiichi  ; Yaita, Tsuyoshi; Kobayashi, Toru ; Nakashima, Nobuaki*

One of the spectroscopic properties for lanthanides and actinides is that they have f-f transitions in the visible region of their spectra. Those absorption appears at specific wavelength and has narrow line width even in the liquid phase owing to shielded f electrons. It has been reported that reduction reactions of Sm, Eu, and Yb are induced by multiphoton excitation through each f-f transition depending on conditions. This photochemical process may be applicable to mutual separation of f elements. In this study, we tried to optically control the oxidation state of americium. As a result, we found that trivalent americium (Am) in nitric acid solution is oxidized to pentavalent one (AmO) during nanosecond pulsed-laser irradiation at 503 nm corresponding to the L F transition of Am. Identification and quantification of the reactants and products were performed by absorption spectroscopy. Excitation wavelength dependence and fluence dependence of the oxidation suggest that it is initiated by a resonance-enhanced multiphoton process.