Chemistry for the nuclear energy of the future

Chemistry - radiochemistry, radiation chemistry and nuclear chemical engineering play a very important role in the nuclear power development. Even at present, the offered technology is well developed, but still several improvements are needed and proposed. These developments concern all stages of the technology; front end, reactor operation (coolant chemistry and installation components decontamination, noble gas release control), back end of fuel cycle, etc. Chemistry for a partitioning and a transmutation is a new challenge for the chemists and chemical engineers. The IVth generation of nuclear reactors cannot be developed without chemical solutions for fuel fabrication, radiation-coolants interaction phenomena understanding and spent fuel/waste treatment technologies elaboration. Radiochemical analytical methods are fundamental for radioecological monitoring of radioisotopes of natural and anthropological origin. This paper addresses just a few subjects and is not a detailed overview of the field, however it illustrates a role of chemistry for a safe and economical nuclear power development.