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Recently, Inorganic Chemistry, a prestigious journal published by the American Chemical Society, released groundbreaking findings from the Nuclear Energy Radiochemical Laboratory at the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The study introduces the use of novel tetradentate phenanthroline diamide ligands for highly efficient and selective extraction of actinides. This work, led by Xiao Chengliang, Chai Zhifang, and Shi Weiqun, was published in 2014 (Inorg. Chem., 2014, ASAP).
Nuclear waste produced during nuclear power generation, particularly long-lived radioactive isotopes, remains one of the most critical challenges in the nuclear fuel cycle. The Partition & Transmutation strategy aims to optimize the use of nuclear fuel while significantly reducing the toxicity and volume of waste, making it a promising approach. However, separating trivalent lanthanides and actinides is extremely difficult due to their similar chemical properties, which has made this one of the most complex problems in high-level radioactive waste management.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Nuclear Energy Pilot Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Nuclear Energy Radiochemistry Laboratory at the High Energy Institute has been conducting extensive research since 2011. Their focus has been on nitrogen-containing heterocyclic soft ligands and oxygen-based amide phosphine ligands, using density functional theory to understand the interaction mechanisms between cations and lanthanides. Their early studies were among the first to suggest that the solvation of metal ions may play a key role in determining selectivity (Inorg. Chem, 2011, 50: 9230; J. Phys. Chem. A, 2012, 116: 504; Coord. Chem. Rev, 2012, 256: 1406; Inorg. Chem, 2013, 52: 196; Inorg. Chem, 2013, 52: 10904).
Building upon this foundation, the laboratory recently introduced an innovative "soft and hard atom binding" strategy. This led to the development of phenanthroline diamide ligands (DAPhen), which exhibit remarkable selectivity toward different valence states of lanthanide ions (Inorg. Chem, 2014, ASAP). Experimental solvent extraction tests revealed that DAPhen demonstrates excellent extraction capabilities for trivalent, tetravalent, and hexavalent lanthanide cations, but shows minimal extraction for trivalent lanthanides, effectively enabling their separation. In a 1.0 M nitric acid solution, the separation factors for Th(IV)/Eu(III) reached 2209, SU(VI)/Eu(III) reached 264, and Am(III)/Eu(III) reached 65. These results represent the most effective extraction agent for lanthanide elements reported to date, with significant potential for application in the treatment of high-level radioactive waste solutions.
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