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Californium chemistry

Withstanding californium’s RADiolysis

Nature Reviews Chemistry (2024)Cite this article

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Radioactive decay and radiolysis represent unique phenomena that must be considered both in fundamental studies of unstable nuclei, such as the actinides, and in practical applications involving the production and disposal of nuclear fuel. While research into these radiation-induced effects has flourished in recent years, it remains in nascent stages for the heavier, highly radioactive actinides, such as californium (Cf).

Since chlorides and sulfates play a pivotal role in the production, purification, and recycling of actinide systems, a deeper understanding of the reaction mechanisms promoted by californium’s inherent radiation field is critical. Upon exposure to ionizing radiation, chloride- and sulfate-containing media produce the oxidizing \({\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}^{\mathrm{\cdot -}}\) and \({\mathrm{SO}}_{4}^{\mathrm{\cdot -}}\) radical anions, respectively. Sulfate radicals (\({\mathrm{SO}}_{4}^{\mathrm{\cdot -}}\)) are of particular interest as they display more complex binding modes than chlorides and remain generally understudied in the context of transuranic elements.

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References

Original article

  • Rotermund, B. M. et al. Chemical kinetics for the oxidation of californium(III) ions with select radiation-induced inorganic radicals (\({\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}^{\mathrm{\cdot -}}\) and \({\mathrm{SO}}_{4}^{\mathrm{\cdot -}}\)). J. Phys. Chem. A 128, 590–598 (2024)

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the support of DOE, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division, Heavy Element Chemistry Program at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Rachel Meyer, Mikaela Pyrch & Ambarneil Saha

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  1. Rachel Meyer
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  2. Mikaela Pyrch
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  3. Ambarneil Saha
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Correspondence to Mikaela Pyrch.

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Meyer, R., Pyrch, M. & Saha, A. Withstanding californium’s RADiolysis. Nat Rev Chem (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-024-00607-0

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