Abstract
A hydrophilic ligand that contains only C, H, O, and N substituents and uses a 6,6′-bis(1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-2,2′-bipyridine (BTzBP) structural core has been synthesized.
The effect of adding water-soluble groups onto extractant ligands has been extensively
studied to facilitate the efficient partitioning of 4f and transuranic 5f elements
for the treatment of spent nuclear fuel. Soft, N-donor ligands exhibit greater binding
affinities for the trivalent actinides over the trivalent lanthanides, making BTzBP
ligands an ideal candidate in the search for extractants to be used on an industrial
scale. To date, hydrophobic BTzBPs have been shown to exhibit physical and chemical
properties that might be conducive to nuclear waste processing conditions. However,
hydrophilic BTzBPs have yet to be reported. Herein, we show the synthesis of a hydrophilic
BTzBP ligand featuring cationic water solubilizing groups attached to the bipyridal
rings.
Key words
BTzBP - separations - actinide - lanthanide - solvent extraction - CHON - triazolyl
