Impact of temperature on the complexation of Eu(III) and Cm(III) with aqueous phosphates

The incorporation of actinides in solid lanthanide phosphates crystallizing in the monazite structure has been intensely investigated in the past decades due to the relevance of these monazites as potential ceramic phases for the immobilization of specific high level radioactive waste (HLW) streams [1-3]. In recent years, understanding the incorporation behaviour of trivalent dopants in the LnPO4×nH2O rhabdophane structure, which is the hydrated phosphate precursor in the synthesis of monazites through precipitation routes and a potential secondary mineral controlling actinide solubility in dissolution and re-precipitation reactions of monazite host-phases, has been given more attention [4,5]. Despite the large interest in lanthanide phosphates and the interaction of actinides with these solids, very little data is available on the complexation of lanthanides and actinides with aqueous phosphates, even though these complexation reactions precede any aqueous synthesis of monazite ceramics and are expected to occur in natural waters as well as in the proximity of monazite-containing HLW repositories. It also suffers from an almost systematic absence of independent spectroscopic validation of the stoichiometry of the proposed complexes. Both from the perspective of aqueous rhabdophane synthesis, which is often carried out at elevated temperatures, and heat-generating HLW immobilization in monazites, the lanthanide and actinide complexation reactions with aqueous phosphates under ambient conditions should be complemented with data obtained at higher temperatures.

In the present work, laser-induced luminescence spectroscopy (LIL) was used to study the complexation of Eu(III) (5×10 6 M) and Cm(III) (5×10 7 or 1×10 8 M) as a function of total phosphate concentration (0-0.3 M ΣPO4) in the temperature regime 25-90°C, using NaClO4 as a background electrolyte (I = 0.5 to 3.1 M). These studies have, in a first step, been conducted in the acidic pH-range (pH = 1) to avoid precipitation of solid Eu or Cm rhabdophane. Both trivalent metal cations form a complex with the anionic H2PO4 species, i.e. EuH2PO42+ and CmH2PO42+. The conditional complexation constants were found to increase upon rising ionic strength and temperature. Extrapolation of the obtained complexation constants to infinite dilution at 25 °C was performed by applying the Specific Ion Interaction Theory (SIT) [6]. The obtained log β° values for EuH2PO42+ and CmH2PO42 were 0.89 ± 0.13 and 0.45 ± 0.19, respectively, for reaction 1 below:

Me3+ + H3PO4 ⇌ MeH2PO42+ + H+ (Me = Eu or Cm) (1)

The ion-ion interaction coefficients ε(EuH2PO42+;ClO4 ) = 0.20 ± 0.08 and ε(CmH2PO42+;ClO4 ) = 0.16 ± 0.12 were derived at 25 °C. Temperature-dependent conditional complexation constants for the identified species were obtained from the recorded luminescence emission spectra. They were subsequently extrapolated to I =0 M, assuming that the ion-ion interaction parameters obtained at 25 °C are not significantly impacted by the temperature increase from 25 °C to 90 °C [6]. Using the extended van´t Hoff equation, the molal enthalpy ΔRHm° and entropy of reaction ΔRSm° values were both found to be positive.
Exactly the same combination of batch, spectroscopic, and thermodynamic studies was used at lower H+ concentrations ( log[H+] = 2.52, 3.44, and 3.65). Our results clearly showed the presence of Eu(H2PO4)2+ and Cm(H2PO4)2+ species, so far never reported in the literature. In addition Eu(HPO4)+ and Cm(HPO4)+ species were identified. Conditional complexation constants for these species will be derived and extrapolated to infinite dilution using the SIT approach.
Finally, relativistic quantum chemical investigations will be performed to shed light on the observed differences in the complexation strength of Eu(III) and Cm(III) with aqueous phosphates. They will also provide insight on the role of spin-orbit coupling and serve to probe the character of the metal water and metal phosphate bonds.