Synthesis and investigation of uranyl molybdate UO2MoO4

Abstract In order to examine easily synthetic conditions of uranyl molybdate, UO 2 MoO 4 , used for the reprocessing process study of spent nuclear oxide fuels in alkaline molybdate melts, the uranium molybdate compounds were produced from U 3 O 8 powder and anhydrous MoO 3 reagent. The results of having investigated them in solid state by using X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectrometry, it was confirmed that UO 2 MoO 4 could be synthesized by heating mixed powder of U 3 O 8 and MoO 3 with stoichiometric mole ratio at 770 °C for 4 h under air atmosphere. Moreover, adding this UO 2 MoO 4 into Li 2 MoO 4 Na 2 MoO 4 eutectic melt, most of the dissolved uranium species in the melt were observed as hexa–valent uranyl ions by absorption spectrophotometry.