Reactions of uranium carbonitrides and uranium nitride with aqueous solutions of hydrochloric, sulfuric, and nitric acids

Abstract

The uranium carbonitrides reacted with 6 M HCl or 6 M H 2SO 4 to yield primarily CH 4, H 2, NH 4 +, and either U 4+ or U(SO 4) 2·4H 2O. At 80°C, UN 0·77C 0·23 was inert in water, but UC 0·68N 0·25 hydrolyzed to CH 4, H 2, NH 4 +, and UO 2. Uranium mononitride reacted with 0·5–15·8 M HNO 3 producing a yellow uranyl nitrate solution, N 2, nitrogen oxides, HNO 2, and, under some conditions, NH 4 +. The uranium carbonitrides reacted exothermally with nitric acid, yielding the same products that were obtained with uranium mononitride, as well as CO 2, unidentified nitric acid-soluble organic compound(s), and, in some cases, black organic residues. Ammonium ion was an intermediate in the oxidation of nitride or carbonitride nitrogen to N 2.