plutonium(III) fluoride
{{Chembox
| ImageFile = Kristallstruktur Lanthanfluorid.png
| ImageFile_Ref = {{Chemboximage|correct|??}}
| ImageSize = 244
| ImageName = Unit cell, ball and stick model of plutonium(III) fluoride
| IUPACName = Plutonium(III) fluoride
| SystematicName = Plutonium(3+) fluoride
| OtherNames = Plutonic fluoride
Plutonium fluoride
Plutonium trifluoride
|Section1={{Chembox Identifiers
| CASNo = 13842-83-6
| CASNo_Ref = {{cascite|correct|??}}
| PubChem = 139624
| ChemSpiderID = 123138
| ChemSpiderID_Ref = {{chemspidercite|correct|chemspider}}
| SMILES = [F-].[F-].[F-].[Pu+3]
| StdInChI = 1S/3FH.Pu/h3*1H;/q;;;+3/p-3
| StdInChI_Ref = {{stdinchicite|correct|chemspider}}
| StdInChIKey = DBYIUAMLRDFZJJ-UHFFFAOYSA-K
| StdInChIKey_Ref = {{stdinchicite|correct|chemspider}}
}}
|Section2={{Chembox Properties
| F=3 | Pu=1
| Appearance = Violet, opaque crystals
| Density = 9.3 g cm−3
| MeltingPtC = 1396
| BoilingPtC = 2000
}}
|Section8={{Chembox Related
| OtherAnions = Plutonium(III) chloride
| OtherCations = Samarium(III) fluoride
| OtherFunction_label = fluoroplutoniums
| OtherFunction = Plutonium tetrafluoride
}}
}}
Plutonium(III) fluoride or plutonium trifluoride is the chemical compound composed of plutonium and fluorine with the formula PuF3. This salt forms violet crystals. Plutonium(III) fluoride has the LaF3 structure where the coordination around the plutonium atoms is complex and usually described as tri-capped trigonal prismatic.Wells A.F. (1984) Structural Inorganic Chemistry 5th edition Oxford Science Publications {{ISBN|0-19-855370-6}}.
Reactions
A plutonium(III) fluoride precipitation method has been investigated as an alternative to the typical plutonium peroxide method of recovering plutonium from solution, such as that from a nuclear reprocessing plant.
{{Citation
| last1 = Gupta
| first1 = C. K.
| last2 = Mukherjee
| first2 = T. K.
| year = 1990
| title = Hydrometallurgy in Extraction Processes
| volume = 2
| publisher = CRC Press
| isbn = 0-8493-6805-7
| oclc =21197603
| pages = 206–208
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IV4iOAESyTMC&q=%22plutonium+peroxide%22&pg=PA206
| access-date = 2008-06-20
}}
A 1957 study by the Los Alamos National Laboratory reported a less effective recovery than the traditional method,
{{Citation
| last = Winchester
| first = R. S.
| publication-date = 1958
| year = 1957
| title = Aqueous Decontamination of Plutonium from Fission Product Elements
| place = Los Alamos, NM
| publisher = Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California
| pages = 9–10
| url = http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/lib-www/la-pubs/00191208.pdf
| access-date = 2008-06-20
}} while a more recent study sponsored by the United States Office of Scientific and Technical Information found it to be one of the more effective methods.
{{Citation
| last1 = Martella
| first1 = L. L.
| last2 = Saba
| first2 = M. T.
| last3 = Campbell
| first3 = G. K.
| date = 1984
| title = Laboratory-scale evaluations of alternative plutonium precipitation methods
| publisher = United States Office of Scientific and Technical Information
| doi = 10.2172/5318991
| osti = 5318991
| url = https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1067306/
}}
Plutonium(III) fluoride can be used for manufacture of the plutonium-gallium alloy instead of more difficult to handle metallic plutonium.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Plutonium compounds}}
{{fluorine compounds}}
{{Actinide halides}}