A trialkyl phosphine oxide functionalized task specific ionic liquid for actinide ion complexation: extraction and spectroscopic studies

Abstract

A trialkylphosphine oxide functionalized task specific ionic liquid (PO-TSIL) with a NTf₂⁻ counter anion was synthesized and evaluated for the extraction of actinide ions such as UO₂²⁺ and Pu⁴⁺ from acidic feed solutions using room temperature ionic liquids (RTIL) such as [BMIM][NTf₂] and [OMIM][NTf₂] as the diluents. The extraction data were compared with those obtained with tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) in the same set of RTILs. The extracted species following a cation-exchange mechanism were analyzed by the conventional slope analysis method. The nature of the bonding in the extracted complexes was investigated by various spectroscopic techniques such as luminescence and UV-visible spectroscopy. Studies on the stripping and radiation stability were also carried out for possible nuclear fuel cycle applications.