Uranium compounds

Any chemical compound having at least one uranium atom

Uranium compounds are compounds formed by the element uranium (U). Although uranium is a radioactive actinide, its compounds are well studied due to its long half life and its applications. It usually forms in the +4 and +6 oxidation states, although it can also form in other oxidation states.

Calcined uranium yellowcake, as produced in many large mills, contains a distribution of uranium oxidation species in various forms ranging from most oxidized to least oxidized. Particles with short residence times in a calciner will generally be less oxidized than those with long retention times or particles recovered in the stack scrubber. Uranium content is usually referenced to , which dates to the days of the Manhattan Project when was used as an analytical chemistry reporting standard. Phase relationships in the uranium oxygen system are complex. The most important oxidation states of uranium are uranium(IV) and uranium(VI), and their two corresponding oxides are, respectively, uranium dioxide and uranium trioxide Other uranium oxides such as uranium monoxide (UO), diuranium pentoxide , and uranium peroxide also exist. The most common forms of uranium oxide are triuranium octoxide and Both oxide forms are solids that have low solubility in water and are relatively stable over a wide range of environmental conditions. Triuranium octoxide is (depending on conditions) the most stable compound of uranium and is the form most commonly found in nature. Uranium dioxide is the form in which uranium is most commonly used as a nuclear reactor fuel. At ambient temperatures, will gradually convert to Because of their stability, uranium oxides are generally considered the preferred chemical form for storage or disposal.

Salts of many oxidation states of uranium are water soluble and may be studied in aqueous solutions. The most common ionic forms are (brown red), (green), UO2+ (unstable), and UO22+ (yellow), for U(III), U(IV), U(V), and U(VI), respectively. A few solid and semi metallic compounds such as UO and US exist for the formal oxidation state uranium(II), but no simple ions are known to exist in solution for that state. Ions of liberate hydrogen from water and are therefore considered to be highly unstable. The UO22+ ion represents the uranium(VI) state and is known to form compounds such as uranyl carbonate, uranyl chloride and uranyl sulfate. UO22+ also forms complexes with various organic chelating agents, the most commonly encountered of which is uranyl acetate. Unlike the uranyl salts of uranium and polyatomic ion uranium oxide cationic forms, the uranates, salts containing a polyatomic uranium oxide anion, are generally not water soluble.

The interactions of carbonate anions with uranium(VI) cause the Pourbaix diagram to change greatly when the medium is changed from water to a carbonate containing solution. While the vast majority of carbonates are insoluble in water (students are often taught that all carbonates other than those of alkali metals are insoluble in water), uranium carbonates are often soluble in water. This is because a U(VI) cation is able to bind two terminal oxides and three or more carbonates to form anionic complexes. +Pourbaix diagramsUranium in a non complexing aqueous medium (e. g. perchloric acid/sodium hydroxide). Uranium in carbonate solutionRelative concentrations of the different chemical forms of uranium in a non complexing aqueous medium (e. g. perchloric acid/sodium hydroxide). Relative concentrations of the different chemical forms of uranium in an aqueous carbonate solution.

The uranium fraction diagrams in the presence of carbonate illustrate this further: when the pH of a uranium(VI) solution increases, the uranium is converted to a hydrated uranium oxide hydroxide and at high pHs it becomes an anionic hydroxide complex. When carbonate is added, uranium is converted to a series of carbonate complexes if the pH is increased. One effect of these reactions is increased solubility of uranium in the pH range 6 to 8, a fact that has a direct bearing on the long term stability of spent uranium dioxide nuclear fuels.

Uranium metal heated to reacts with hydrogen to form uranium hydride. Even higher temperatures will reversibly remove the hydrogen. This property makes uranium hydrides convenient starting materials to create reactive uranium powder along with various uranium carbide, nitride, and halide compounds. Two crystal modifications of uranium hydride exist: an α form that is obtained at low temperatures and a β form that is created when the formation temperature is above 250 °C. Uranium carbides and uranium nitrides are both relatively inert semimetallic compounds that are minimally soluble in acids, react with water, and can ignite in air to form Carbides of uranium include uranium monocarbide (U C), uranium dicarbide , and diuranium tricarbide Both UC and are formed by adding carbon to molten uranium or by exposing the metal to carbon monoxide at high temperatures. Stable below 1800 °C, is prepared by subjecting a heated mixture of UC and to mechanical stress. Uranium nitrides obtained by direct exposure of the metal to nitrogen include uranium mononitride (UN), uranium dinitride , and diuranium trinitride .