Third phase formation in the extraction of Pu(IV) nitrate by 30% tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) dissolved in n-dodecane or in the highly branched diluent hydrogenated polypropylene tetramer (HPT), which may also be known as 4,4 dipropyl 283 heptane or tétrapropylène hydrogéné, was investigated through small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. The SANS data were interpreted using the Baxter model for hard-spheres with surface adhesion. According to this model, the increase in scattering intensity observed when increasing amounts of Pu(NO 3 ) 4 are extracted into the organic phase, is due to interactions between small reverse micelles containing three to five TBP molecules. In n-dodecane, the micelles interact through attractive forces between their polar cores with a potential energy of up to 22.6 k B T. This strong intermicellar attraction leads to organic phase splitting with the separation of most of the solutes of the original organic phase into a distinct phase containing interspersed layers of n-dodecane. When HPT is the diluent, the intermicellar attraction energy calculated from the SANS data is much lower, and no third phase formation is observed under comparable chemical conditions. However, when a significant amount of the initial aqueous plutonium is in the form of plutonyl ions, PuO 2 2þ , the critical energy potential is reached even in HPT. A potential explanation of the effect of Pu(VI) involves the formation of a plutonyl trinitrato complex.