Volatile molecule PuO3 observed from subliming plutonium dioxide

摘要

Mass spectrometric measurements of effusing vapours over PuO2 and (U, Pu)O-2 indicate the presence of volatile PuO3 (g) molecules. The formation of plutonium trioxide vapour is due to a chemical process involving oxygen adsorbed during oxidation of the sample. Although in the examined samples, the fraction of trioxide effusing in vacuo was of the order of 0.02 ppm of the plutonium content, under steady-state oxidation conditions it has been shown that the process can have a relevant effect on the sublimation rate of the dioxide. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. [References: 10]