Extraction of americium with benzyldibutylamine from nitrate solutions

The extraction of Am(III) with benzyldibutylamine from nitrate medium was examined in dependence on the concentration of nitric acid, kind and concentration of the salting-out agent in the aqueous phase, and on the solvent. Am(III) is extracted into the organic phase in the form of [(R3NH+)α,Am(NO3)52-]. The IR spectra of the organic phase are discussed and confronted with the results of the chemical analysis of the organic phase. The extraction of Am(III) and of lanthanides was found to be considerably higher than that of some products of corrosion and nuclear fission (Fe, Cs, Sr, Zr), which is documented by the high values of the separation factors. (author)