Oxidation of cations with variable valence by ozone

Method of infrared spectroscopy (using oxygen-18) was applied to study origin of oxygen in plutonyl-ion - product of plutonium(4) oxidation by ozone in nitric acid solutions. The observed number of oxygen atoms, arrived from oxidizer to plutonyl-ion, changed from 0.87+-0.03 for 0.5 mol/l HNO3 up to 1.30+-0.01 for 2.0 mol/lHNO3. It was assumed that in Pu(4) oxidation by ozone both oxygen atoms originate from ozone. Disproportionation of Pu(4), contributing to the general oxidation process takes place in parallel with oxidation by ozone