Tc(CO) 3 ] + /gluconate complex was considerably slower in the supernatant simulant than in the simple 5 M NaNO 3 /0.5 M NaOH/0.5 M NaGluconate solution. 4. These results indicate that a carbonyl complex is a viable candidate for the source of non-pertechnetate in tank waste. As indicated, testing has identified a range of conditions under which a significant portion of the carbonyl complex is stable for extended periods of time. Preliminary studies have shown a viable route for the formation of this complex under tank waste conditions. Also, since the range of concentration in tank waste varies from less than 0.1% to greater than 50%, the rates of production and destruction under these varying conditions obviously vary dramatically, and as such, the balance of these two reactions will be highly dependent upon tank waste chemistry. 5. A proof-of-principle demonstration corroborating the mechanism and feasibility of [Tc(CO) 3 ] + formation from pertechnetate using CO/H 2 reductant in the presence of an organic chelator and catalytic noble metals in the tank waste simulant was performed. The simulant used was based on the previously used Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) simulant formulation, albeit with altered free hydroxide concentrations and with the addition of some noble metals (simulating fission products) to catalyze any needed reduction of Tc(VII) by hydrogen and gluconate as a reductant/complexant. Reaction conditions were approximately 1300 psi atmosphere, at 80 °C for about 12 days. The bulk of the pertechnetate was reduced following this treatment and the Tc(I)-tricarbonyl/gluconate compound was observed by 99 Tc NMR spectroscopy. The same product can be prepared independently by the reaction of [Tc(CO) 3 ] + with gluconate in water, sodium nitrate, or supernatant simulant solutions. In short, this proof-of-principle test supports the concept of alkaline-soluble, low-valent Tc being formed by pertechnetate reduction under conditions consistent with those found in Hanford tank supernatants, albeit at intentionally high concentrations of carbon monoxide in this first proof-of-principle test. 6. To understand Tc speciation in the alkaline solutions, significant effort was placed on the expansion of the Tc characterization techniques and development of computational approaches to enhance interpretation of the experimental observations. In this work, considerable achievements were made toward verifying that the Tc(I)-tricarbonyl species is a viable candidate for the source of alkaline-soluble, non-pertechnetate Tc in the Hanford tank supernatants. This work confirmed that the Tc species based on the [Tc(CO) 3 ] + center can be obtained by the laboratory synthetic route and that a potential route exists for their production in the alkaline tank wastes. These non-pertechnetate species are sufficiently stable under the conditions associated with Hanford tank supernatants. However, considerable work remains, specifically to achieve control over Tc redox behavior in the alkaline media, and to develop metho...