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Plutonium oxychloride

Chemical compound From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Plutonium oxychloride is an inorganic compound of plutonium, oxygen, and chlorine with the chemical formula PuOCl.[1]

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Synthesis

It is produced in a reaction of plutonium(III) oxide with calcium chloride:[2]

Pu2O3 + CaCl2 → 2PuOCl + CaO

It is also formed in trace quantities in the reaction between plutonium trichloride and calcium oxide, which mainly produces plutonium monoxide:[3]

PuCl3 + CaO → PuOCl + CaCl2

The compound is also synthesized by heating PuCl3·6H2O in a sealed tube, or by treating PuO2 or PuCl3 at 650 °C with a vapour mixture prepared via bubbling H2 through aqueous HCl.[4]

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Physical properties

Plutonium oxychloride appears as a green or blue-green crystals (space group P4/nmm[5]) that are insoluble in water but dissolve in dilute acidic solutions. X-ray diffraction analysis of PuOCl reveals a tetragonal crystal structure, with two molecules present in each unit cell.[6]

Chemical properties

PuOCl reacts with calcium (dissolved in liquid calcium chloride) or high-temperature barium vapour to form plutonium monoxide.[3]

References

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