A 23Na Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, XANES, and High Temperature X-Ray Diffraction Study of NaUO3, Na4UO5, and Na2U2O7

The valence state of uranium has been confirmed for the three sodium uranates NaUVO3/Rn](5f1), Na4UVIO5/[Rn](5f0), and Na2UVI2O7/[Rn study on Na2U2O7 has confirmed a monoclinic rather than rhombohedral structure with evidence for two distinct Na sites. DFT calculations of the NMR parameters on the nonmagnetic compounds Na4UO5 and Na2U2O7 have permitted the differentiation between the two Na sites of the Na2U2O7 structure. The linear thermal expansion coefficients of all three compounds have been determined using high-temperature X-ray diffraction: αa = 22.7 × 10–6 K–1, αb = 12.9 × 10–6 K–1, αc = 16.2 × 10–6 K–1, and αvol = 52.8 × 10–6 K–1 for NaUO3 in the range 298–1273 K; αa = 37.1 × 10–6 K–1, αc = 6.2 × 10–6 K–1, and αvol = 81.8 × 10–6 K–1 for Na4UO5 in the range 298–1073 K; αa = 6.7 × 10–6 K–1, αb = 14.4 × 10–6 K–1, αc = 26.8 × 10–6 K–1, αβ = −7.8 × 10–6 K–1, and αvol = −217.6 × 10–6 K–1 for Na2U2O7 in the range 298–573 K. The α to β phase transition reported for the last compound above about 600 K was not observed in the present studies, either by high-temperature X-ray diffraction or by differential scanning calorimetry.