Abstract
Plutonium trifluoride can be precipitated from a plutonium(III) nitrate solution, dried, and reduced to metal using calcium with an iodine booster. This system, with variations, has been in routine use at the Savannah River Plant for several years to produce 2000-gram buttons of plutonium metal. Criteria that determine crystal size and filtrate loss during precipitation in a two-stage unit appear applicable to the design and operation of multistage units for the precipitation of other compounds. The low heat of reduction of the trifluoride requires 0.6 mole of iodine per mole of plutonium as a booster for good yields. Problems caused by iodine are eliminated by oxidizing anhydrous PuFg with dry oxygen to a mixture of PuF/su 4/ and PuO/sub 2/, which has sufficient heat of reduction to be reduced with calcium alone, in 96% yield. General relationships between plutonium fluorides and oxides, the role of hydrated tetrafluorides, and filtrate recovery are discussed. (auth)
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