Plutonium oxychloride is an inorganic compound of plutonium, oxygen, and chlorine with the chemical formula PuOCl.^[1]

Synthesis

It is produced in a reaction of plutonium(III) oxide with calcium chloride:^[2]

Pu₂O₃ + CaCl₂ → 2PuOCl + CaO

It is also formed in trace quantities in the reaction between plutonium trichloride and calcium oxide, which mainly produces plutonium monoxide:^[3]

PuCl₃ + CaO → PuOCl + CaCl₂

The compound is also synthesized by heating PuCl₃·6H₂O in a sealed tube, or by treating PuO₂ or PuCl₃ at 650 °C with a vapour mixture prepared via bubbling H₂ through aqueous HCl.^[4]

Physical properties

Plutonium oxychloride appears as a green or blue-green crystals (space group P4/nmm^[5]) that are insoluble in water but dissolve in dilute acidic solutions. X-ray diffraction analysis of PuOCl reveals a tetragonal crystal structure, with two molecules present in each unit cell.^[6]

Chemical properties

PuOCl reacts with calcium (dissolved in liquid calcium chloride) or high-temperature barium vapour to form plutonium monoxide.^[3]

References