Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Properties of Technetium in Fused Alkali Metal Chlorides

The behavior of metallic technetium in chloride melts was studied for the first time. The experiments were conducted in NaCl-2CsCl eutectic melt at 550 degrees C using high temperature electronic absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry. The anodic dissolution of Tc results in the formation of a mixture of Tc(IV) and a lower oxidation state species. Cyclic voltammograms of technetium-containing melts show two cathodic and two associated anodic peaks. One pair is around -0.35 V vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode and is associated with the deposition of Tc metal.