Reexamination of uranium (IV) phosphate chemistry

During the past 40 years, few papers concerning uranium (IV) phosphate chemistry have been cited as references in usual textbooks and nobody, up to now, has questioned their veracity. In recent studies on uranium (IV) phosphates, the author's found that some of them, like U3(PO4)4, do not exist or, like (U2O3)P2O7, were wrongly identified. Thus, the reinvestigation of uranium(IV) phosphates was decided to be necessary. Some new compounds were prepared and identified. From previously published results, this paper draws up a balance sheet of the scope concerning the complete understanding of the chemistry of tetravalent uranium phosphates. This new approach is given in terms of a survey of the literature errors to set the facts in their true light. Two synoptic schemes are given to bring forward evidence of new compounds, U(UO2)(PO4)2 and U2O(PO4)2, which appear to be significant in the chemistry of uranium (IV) phosphates