Isolation of protactinium, americium and europium from fluoride melt with solid extractant

The distribution of americium, europium and protactinium between the melt of calcium and lithium fluorides and non-isomorphous solid phase - calcium fluoride - depending on time of carrying out the experiment, quantity of solid phase and gas medium (air, argon) at 1133 K was studied. The investigation results showed that the conductivity of experiments in pretreated with bifluoride melts in argon atmosphere practically excluded the transition of investigated elements into the solid phase of calcium fluoride. The coprecipitation of americium, europium and protactinium with calcium fluoride occurred only under conditions ensuring the formation of oxides and oxyfluorides of those elements in the fluoride melt. The distribution of microcomponents between the melt and solid phase proceeded with the constant coefficient of cocrystallization irrespective of the quantity of solid phase that pointed to the homogeneous distribution of elements over the whole volume of crystals