The preparation and decomposition of methylhydrazine oxalate and its application as cleaning extractant

Abstract

The preparation, stability and decomposition of methylhydrazine oxalate (MHOX) were investigated. White needles of MHOX were prepared. The molecular formula of MHOX is (CH 3 N 2 H 4 ) 2 C 2 O 4 . The aqueous solution of MHOX is stable at ambient temperature.The kinetics of redox reaction between oxalic acid and H 2 O 2 used as an oxidant was studied. The kinetic rate equation is as followsThe kinetics of redox reaction between methylhydrazine and H 2 O 2 was also studied. The rate of decomposition of methylhydrazine is higher than that of oxalic acid. The decomposition reaction is given as follows:The proposed kinetic rate equation is as follows:The rate of decomposition of MHOX with H 2 O 2 depends mainly on that of oxalic acid.Experiments show that the washing efficiency of uranium from 30%TBP-kerosene (OK) used with MHOX is the same as that with Na 2 CO 3 . The washing efficiency of Pu and Am with MHOX is greater than that with Na 2 CO 3 .