A comparative study of thermodynamics in synergistic extraction of hexavalent plutonium by HTTA and HPMBP using mono- and bi-functional neutral donors

Synergistic extraction of hexavalent plutonium was studied from HNO3 medium (0.05 M) with HTTA and various neutral donors viz. DPSO, TBP, TOPO (monofunctional) and DBDECMP, DHDECMP, CMPO (bifunctional) using benzene as a diluent. Thermodynamic parameters (Delta G, Delta H, Delta S) were evaluated at 298 K from the experiments performed at four fixed temperatures in 288 to 318 K range. These were compared with the corresponding values reported earlier for Pu(VI) + HPMBP + neutral donor system. The net negative enthalpy changes with HTTA were observed to be low as compared to those with HPMBP. The net entropy changes were found to be either negligibly small (in cases of DPSO, TBP, DBDECMP DHDECMP) or positive (in cases of CMPO, TOPO) with HTTA in comparison to large negative values with HPMBP. These results were interpreted in terms of different organic phase adduct formation reaction mechanisms i.e. substitution in HTTA vs. addition in HPMBP. Further, the lower net enthalpy changes with HTTA were explained due to a part of the energy used in release of water molecules bonded to plutonium in the plutonium chelate.