Characterization and thermogravimetric analysis of lanthanide hexafluoroacetylacetone chelates.

This work reports the thermodynamic characterizations of organometallic species as a vehicle for the rapid separation of volatile nuclear fission products via gas chromatography due to differences in adsorption enthalpy. Because adsorption and sublimation thermodynamics are linearly correlated, there is considerable motivation to determine sublimation enthalpies. A method of isothermal thermogravimetric analysis, TGA-MS and melting point analysis are employed on thirteen lanthanide 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetone complexes to determine sublimation enthalpies.

Thermodynamic analysis of volatile organometallic fission products.

The ability to perform rapid separations in a post nuclear weapon detonation scenario is an important aspect of national security. In the past, separations of fission products have been performed using solvent extraction, precipitation, etc. The focus of this work is to explore the feasibility of using thermochromatography, a technique largely employed in superheavy element chemistry, to expedite the separation of fission products from fuel components.