Publications by authors named "Hye-Ryun Cho"

Isosaccharinic acid, a major final product of cellulose degradation under highly alkaline cement porewater conditions, is known to increase the mobility of actinides via strong complex formation. In this study, the formation of Am(III) complexes with α-d-isosaccharinate (ISA) was studied in terms of thermodynamics and coordination structures by combining spectrophotometry, time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The formation constants of the Am(III)-ISA complexes were determined by absorption spectroscopy at temperatures in the range of 15-70 °C.

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The temperature-dependent reaction properties of actinide elements are of particular interest in the safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) disposal systems. In this study, the hydrolysis of Pu(III) and the solubility of Pu(OH)(am) were investigated at various temperatures (10-40 °C) in 0.1 M NaClO.

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Complexation of actinides and lanthanides with carboxylic organic ligands is a critical issue affecting radionuclide migration from deep geological disposal systems of spent nuclear fuel. A series of Eu(iii)-aliphatic dicarboxylate compounds, as chemical analogs of radioactive Am(iii) species, Eu(Ox)(HO), Eu(Mal)(HO), and Eu(Suc)(HO), were synthesized and characterized using X-ray crystallography and time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy to examine the ligand-dependent binding modes and the corresponding changes in spectroscopic properties. Powder X-ray crystallography results confirmed that all of the compounds presented a crystalline polymer structure with a trigonal prism square-face tricapped polyhedron geometry centered on Eu(iii) in a nine-coordinate environment involving nine oxygen atoms.

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Hydrolysis of tetravalent uranium (U(iv)) and U(iv)-nanoparticle formation kinetics were examined over a wide range of temperatures using spectrophotometric reaction modeling analysis. The characteristic absorption bands representing U, U(OH), and a proposed oxohydroxo species were newly identified in the UV region (190-300 nm). Dynamic absorption band changes in the UV and visible regions (360-800 nm) were explored to reevaluate the binary ion interaction coefficients for U(iv) ions and the thermodynamic constants of the primary hydrolysis reaction, including complexation constants, enthalpy, and entropy.

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The thermodynamics of Am(III) complex formation in natural groundwater systems is one of the major topics of research in the field of high-level radioactive waste management. In this study, we investigate the absorption and luminescence properties of aqueous Am(III) complexes with a series of aliphatic dicarboxylates in order to learn the thermodynamic complexation behaviors in relation to binding geometries. The formation of Am(III) complexes with these carboxylate ligands induced distinct red shifts in the absorption spectra, which enabled chemical speciation.

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We present the first experimental evidence for the ternary complexation of calcium and magnesium ions with plutonyl(vi)tricarbonate species in carbonate-containing aqueous solutions using visible-NIR spectrophotometric titration. Prior to studying the ternary plutonyl(vi) carbonate complexation, visible-NIR absorption spectral information of PuO2(CO3)22- and PuO2(CO3)34- was successfully obtained. PuO2(CO3)22- has a prominent peak at 853 nm and its molar absorptivity was determined to be ε853, PuO2(CO3)22- = 49.

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The aim of this work is to determine the solubility product of plutonium hydroxide under reducing conditions and to ascertain the stability of Pu(OH) (am) in water. Hydrolysis of Pu(iii) and solubility of Pu(OH) (am) were investigated at a constant ionic strength of 0.1 M NaClO.

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A simple analytical method based on the simultaneous measurement of the luminescence of hexavalent uranium ions (U(VI)) and the Raman scattering of water, was investigated for determining the concentration of U(VI) in aqueous solutions. Both spectra were measured using a cw semiconductor laser beam at a center wavelength of 405 nm. The empirical calibration curve for the quantitative analysis of U(VI) was obtained by measuring the ratio of the luminescence intensity of U(VI) at 519 nm to the Raman scattering intensity of water at 469 nm.

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In this work, the formation of uranium species and their stabilities in Na-U(VI)-CO(3)-OH-H(2)O(2) solutions at different pHs are studied by Raman spectroscopy. In this solution, the UO(2)(O(2))(CO(3))(2)(4-) species was formed together with three other uranium species of UO(2)(O(2))(2)(2-), UO(2)(CO(3))(3)(4-), and a speculated uranium species of the uranyl carbonate hydroxide complex, UO(2)(CO(3))(x)(OH)(y)(2-2x-y), which showed remarkable Raman peaks at approximately 769, 848, 811, and 727 cm(-1), respectively. The UO(2)(O(2))(CO(3))(2)(4-) species disappeared at pH conditions where bicarbonate dominated, and its Raman peak could be clearly observed in only a narrow pH range from approximately 9 to 12.

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The development and application of a new ion detection method based on the electroacoustic (EA) effect is described. An EA signal, produced by applying a pulsed-type electric field to an electrolyte solution in an electroacoustic cell, is dependent on the electrical and thermal properties of the electrolyte and can be detected by using a conventional gas microphone system. The EA signals, generated in this fashion, are proportional to the square of the amplitude of the pulsed-type electric field and show an inverse dependence on the modulated frequency, as found in other acoustic detection systems.

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The solubility of Zr(OH)4(am)--in other words hydrated Zr(IV) oxyhydroxide--is determined by means of coulometric titration (CT), and colloids are detected by laser-induced breakdown when the solubility limit is exceeded. Our results at pH 3-8 demonstrate that the solubility of Zr(OH)4(am) is several orders of magnitude higher than reported classical solubility data for acidic solutions, determined from undersaturation with a less soluble microcrystalline Zr(IV) oxide precipitate. Analysis of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data shows that the microcrystalline colloids in a 0.

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