- Uranium tetrafluoride
Chembox new
Name = Uranium tetrafluoride
ImageFile = UF4solid.jpg
IUPACName = Uranium(IV) fluoride
OtherNames = Uranium(IV) fluoride
Section1 = Chembox Identifiers
CASNo = 10049-14-6
RTECS =
Section2 = Chembox Properties
Formula = UF4
MolarMass = 314.0226 g/mol
Appearance = Green crystalline solid.
Density = 6.7 g/cm3, solid.
Solubility = Insoluable.
MeltingPt = 1036°C
BoilingPt = 1417°C (Subl.)
pKa =
Section7 = Chembox Hazards
EUClass = Irritant (I),
Very Toxic (T+)
RPhrases = R14, R15/29. R29
SPhrases = Not listed.
FlashPt = Non-flammable.
ExternalMSDS = [http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/UR/uranium_tetrafluoride.html Safety (MSDS) data for uranium tetrafluoride]
Section8 = Chembox Related
OtherAnions = None.
OtherCpds =Uranium hexafluoride ,uranium oxide .Uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) is a green crystalline solid compound of
uranium with an insignificantvapor pressure and very slightsolubility in water. Uranium in its tetravalent (uranous ) state is very important in different technological processes. In the uranium refining industry it is known as green salt.UF4 is generally an intermediate in the conversion of
uranium hexafluoride (UF6) to eitheruranium oxide s (U3O8 or UO2) or uranium metal. It is formed by the reaction of UF6 with hydrogen gas in a vertical tube-type reactor or by the action ofhydrogen fluoride (HF) onuranium dioxide . UF4 is less stable than the uranium oxides and reacts slowly with moisture at ambient temperature, forming UO2 and HF, which are very corrosive; it is thus a less favorable form for long-term disposal. The bulk density of UF4 varies from about 2.0 g/cm3 to about 4.5 g/cm3 depending on the production process and the properties of the starting uranium compounds.A
molten salt reactor design, a type ofnuclear reactor where the working fluid is a molten salt, would use UF4 as the core material. UF4 is generally chosen over other salts because of the usefulness of the elements withoutisotope separation , better neutron economy and moderating efficiency, lowervapor pressure and better chemical stability.Like all uranium salts UF4 is toxic and thus harmful by inhalation, ingestion and through skin contact. Being
radioactive it may also cause cancer, probably through exposure to the breakdown productradon gas and its daughters.References
*cite journal | author= Booth H. S., Krasny-Ergen W.,Heath R. E.| title= Uranium Tetrafluoride | journal=
Journal of the American Chemical Society | year= 1946| volume= 68| pages= 1969–1970| doi= 10.1021/ja01214a028
*cite journal | author= S. Kern, J. Hayward,S. Roberts, J. W. Richardson, F. J. Rotella, L. Soderholm, B. Cort, M. Tinkle, M. West, D. Hoisington, G. H. Lander| title= Temperature variation of the structural parameters in actinide tetrafluorides | journal=Journal of Chemical Physics | year= 1994| volume= 101| pages= 9333–9337| doi= 10.1063/1.467963External links
* [http://web.ead.anl.gov/uranium/guide/ucompound/propertiesu/tetrafluoride.cfm Uranium Tetrafluoride, Appendix A of the PEIS (DOE/EIS-0269)]
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