Radiation Stability of Crown Ether Used for Decontamination of Radionuclides from HLW

Abstract

The gamma-ray initiated oxidation of dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DCH-6) was studied in two-phase system under agitation: nitric acid, aqueous solution and organic solvent.The distribution coefficients of radionuclides, hydrodynamic characteristics (phase separation and interface surface tension), and the radiolysis products after irradiation at a dose rate (60Co) of 1.7 Gy/s were determined. The maximum total dose was 3.O×105 Gy (3.0×107R).

Preliminary study of the stability of calix[4]arene crown compounds under radiolysis

“…The stability of crown ethers under mild radiolysis nuclear cycle simulation treatment has been studied by several groups. [9][10][11][12][13] They concluded that, within a weak radiation dose range, the crown ethers are relatively stable; however, in the presence of nitric acid, they undergo several modifications, mainly oxidation and nitration, sometimes reducing by half the crown ether content available for extraction.…”