Ammonia → Yellowcake

Reaction equation

[O:1](F)F.[U:4].[NH3:5]>>[NH4+:5].[NH4+:5].[O-2:1].[O-2:1].[O-2:1].[O-2:1].[O-2:1].[O-2:1].[O-2:1].[U:4].[U:4]

Participants

Reactant 2

HCID 222Ammonia

HCID 13828211Uranium oxyfloride

Product 1

HCID 197096Yellowcake

Procedure

In greater detail, one representative method of preparing uranium dioxide from uranium hexafluoride has uranium hexafluoride reacted with water to hydrolyze the fluoride and form a water solution of uranium oxyfloride and an acid. This water solution is reacted wtih ammonia to yield a precipitate of ammonium diuranate in a slurry. The ammonium diuranate slurry is converted to a dry particulate form of uranium dioxide by heating in wet hydrogen which achieves partial defluorination and reduction of the ammonium diuranate to uranium dioxide.

Sources & evidence

ORD record: ord-bb4f49a16cf149d886e1525d2f345922
Source dataset: uspto-grants-1976_07
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.5104873.v1
Patent number: US03969477

Reaction notes

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