Addressing the Challenge of a Simultaneous Destructive Assay of Plutonium and Uranium: Highly Precise, Robust, Universal, and Reagent-Free Differential Pulse Voltametric Method Development in Biodegradable Methanesulfonic Acid Medium.

The destructive assay of bulk uranium and plutonium, a cornerstone for chemical quality control and nuclear material accounting of fuel matrices, mandates robust and precise methodologies. Despite ongoing research, simultaneous, matrix independent determination of U and Pu has eluded solution owing to inherent limitations in aqueous acid medium, viz., coexistence of multiple oxidation states, coupled electrochemical reactions, smaller potential window, and requirement for multistep sample preconditioning and tedious electrode modification.

Complexation of Eu(III) with cucurbit[n]uril, n = 5 and 7: a thermodynamic and structural study.

Cucurbit[n]urils (CBn) are a new class of macrocyclic cage compounds capable of binding organic and inorganic species, owing to their unique pumpkin like structure comprising of both a hydrophobic cavity and a hydrophilic portal. The thermodynamics of the complexation of Eu(III) with CBn of a different cavity size viz. cucurbit[5]uril (CB5) and cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) has been studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy and calorimetry at 25 °C whereas the structure of the complexes was investigated using time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (TRFS) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) in a formic acid-water mixture (50 wt%).

Studies on separation and purification of fission (99)Mo from neutron activated uranium aluminum alloy.

A new method has been developed for separation and purification of fission (99)Mo from neutron activated uranium-aluminum alloy. Alkali dissolution of the irradiated target (100mg) results in aluminum along with (99)Mo and a few fission products passing into solution, while most of the fission products, activation products and uranium remain undissolved. Subsequent purification steps involve precipitation of aluminum as Al(OH)3, iodine as AgI/AgIO3 and molybdenum as Mo-α-benzoin oxime.