Thermodynamic Features of the Complexation of Neodymium(III) and Americium(III) by Lactate in Trifluoromethanesulfonate Media

The protonation of lactate has been studied in a variety of electrolyte solutions using microcalorimetry to reveal a distinct medium influence imposed on the thermochemistry of the equilibrium. The thermochemistry of lactate protonation, when studied directly in 1.0 mol⋅L−1 sodium lactate, agreed well with the studies performed in trifluoromethanesulfonate (triflate). This thermodynamic agreement suggests that the physical chemistry of lactate in the solutions applicable to the TALSPEAK process—a solvent extraction method for separating trivalent actinides from trivalent lanthanides within the scope of used nuclear fuel processing efforts—may be simulated in triflate solutions. Potentiometry, spectrophotometry and microcalorimetry have been subsequently used to study the thermodynamic features of neodymium and americium complexation by lactate using triflate as a strong background electrolyte. Three successive mononuclear lactate complexes were identified for Nd(III) and Am(III). The stability constants for neodymium, β101=2.60±0.01, β102=4.66±0.02 and β103=5.6±0.1, and for americium, β101=2.60±0.06, β102=4.7±0.1 and β103=6.2±0.2, were found to closely agree with the thermodynamic studies reported in sodium perchlorate solutions. Consequently, the thermodynamic medium effect, imposed on the TALSPEAK-related solution equilibria by the presence of strong background electrolytes such as NaClO4 and NaNO3, does not significantly impact the speciation in solution.