Ozone-Facilitated Formation of Uranyl Peroxide in Humid Conditions
Savannah E Benjamin1, Jay A LaVerne2, Ginger E Sigmon3
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana46556, United States.
Abstract:
Metaschoepite, [(UO2)8O2(OH)12](H2O)10, maintained in a high relative humidity (RH) environment with air initially transformed into an intermediate phase that subsequently was replaced by the peroxide phase studtite, [(UO2)(O2)(H2O)2](H2O)2, over the course of 42 days, as observed using Raman and infrared spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. Addition of atmospheric ozone vastly increased the rate and extent of the transformation to studtite but only in a high-RH atmosphere. Owing to its strong affinity for peroxide, uranyl reacted with hydrogen peroxide as it formed and precipitated stable studtite. In this work, we provide a previously unidentified source of hydrogen peroxide and make a case for the re-examination of storage systems where the consequences of atmospheric ozone are not considered.
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