ABSTRACT
The aim of this paper is to present methods for corrosion mitigation in molten salt environments. The corrosion of structural materials depends directly on the redox potential of the salt. When the redox potential of the salt is higher than the standard potentials of the elements constituting the structural materials, corrosion occurs. If the reverse is true, no corrosion is observed. Herein, a methodology for calculating the theoretical potential of a molten salt is provided and compared with experimental measurements. Three ways to mitigate corrosion by modifying the salt redox potential are proposed: (i) using a soluble/soluble redox system; (ii) using a potentiostatic method; and (iii) using an amphoteric compound such as UCl3, TiCl2, or TiCl3. Immersion tests were conducted under the above conditions to validate the methodology.
ABSTRACT
Portland cement is extensively used for the conditioning of radioactive waste. However, its high alkalinity is a serious obstacle to the stabilization of waste containing aluminum metal since aluminum is oxidized by the pore solution with the production of dihydrogen. This work investigates the potential of an alternative binder, magnesium potassium phosphate (MKP) cement, for the stabilization of Al-Mg alloys comprising 2 to 4.5 wt% of Mg and other metallic impurities. The objective is to assess the influence of the alloy composition on its reactivity in the cementitious matrix at earlier ages, as well as at later ages, when the cement has reached a significant reaction degree. Two complementary techniques are used. Gas chromatography shows that the dihydrogen release, resulting from the corrosion process, is not influenced by the magnesium content in the alloy. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy provides qualitative information about the corrosion but also makes it possible to assess the corrosion current using an equivalent electrical circuit linked to the kinetic parameters of the postulated corrosion mechanism. Over a one-year period, the corrosion current of the alloys, regardless of their Mg content, is reduced by almost three orders of magnitude in MKP mortar as compared to Portland-cement-based mortar.
ABSTRACT
The redox properties of uranium(IV) hexachloro complex have been investigated with a glassy carbon electrode in four bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Tf2N(-)) based ionic liquids (ILs): the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ([BuMeIm](+)), the 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium ([BuMe2Im](+)), the N-butylmethylpyrrolidinium ([BuMePyr](+)), and the tributyl-methylammonium ([MeBu3N](+)). The cyclic voltammetric analysis has revealed two main redox systems: U(V)Cl6(-)/U(IV)Cl6(2-) around 0.2 V and U(IV)Cl6(2-)/U(III)Cl6(3-) around -2 V. The formation of U(V)Cl6(-), a non-dioxo uranium(V) species, can then be observed at the electrode in [Tf2N](-) based ILs. This work also provides evidence of a specific interaction between the uranium anionic species and the IL cations because the standard potentials of both redox couples depend on the IL. The interaction extent has been evaluated by comparison of the IL cation number associated with the uranium anionic complex. For that purpose, the standard potentials of both systems have been measured in the less interacting medium [MeBu3N][Tf2N] as a function of the [BuMeIm](+), [BuMe2Im](+), and [BuMePyr](+) concentration. Predominance diagrams for uranium hexachloro complexes, analogous to the Pourbaix diagram, have then been built in [MeBu3N][Tf2N] depending on the IL cations concentration. The exploitation of these diagrams leads to the conclusion that the interaction is function of the charge of the uranium hexachloro complex (U(V)Cl6(-) < U(IV)Cl6(2-) < U(III)Cl6(3-)) and the IL cation ([BuMe2Im](+) < [BuMePyr](+) < [BuMeIm](+)). The influence of the IL cation could be correlated to the size and the electropositivity of the IL cation. The association would occur by H-bonding and electrostatic interaction. Ab initio calculations were also carried out to evaluate the strength of the interaction between the anionic uranium(IV) chloro complex and the IL cations. The results show that [BuMeIm](+) interacts the most and [MeBu3N](+) the least with U(IV)Cl6(2-), and the magnitude of the interaction is comparable for [BuMe2Im](+) and [BuMePyr](+).
ABSTRACT
The complexes [MeBu 3N] 2[UCl 6] and [BuMe 2Im] 2[UCl 6] were characterized in the solid state and in solution of [MeBu 3N][Tf 2N], [BuMe 2Im][Tf 2N], and [BuMeIm][Tf 2N] room-temperature ionic liquids using single-crystal XRD, EXAFS, electrochemistry, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, and NMR. In the solid state and in solution, the existence of hydrogen bonding between the UCl 6 (2-) complex and the ionic liquid cations was revealed by these techniques. The MeBu 3N (+) cation interacts with UCl 6 (2-) via the protons on the alpha-carbon atoms of nitrogen. The protons of the imidazolium ring account for the interaction between the BuMe 2Im (+) cation and the UCl 6 (2-) anion. For the BuMeIm (+) cation the major interaction was confirmed between the most acidic proton on C(2) and the chlorides of UCl 6 (2-). The experimental results also show that the intensity of the interaction between the UCl 6 (2-) anion and the cation varies with the ionic liquid cation in the following order: MeBu 3N (+) approximately BuMe 2Im (+) << BuMeIm (+).
ABSTRACT
This communication is concerned with deviations from linearity in Brønsted-type nucleophilicity plots as indicators of changes in transition-state structures, in particular as related to solvational effects. Increasing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) content of DMSO-water mixtures removes the leveling off observed in Brønsted type plots of the reaction of p-nitrophenylacetate (PNPA) with oximate alpha-nucleophiles. This is interpreted as due to virtually complete decoupling between desolvation of the oxyanion nucleophile and bond formation in the rate-determining transition state (solvational imbalance).
