URANYL NITRATE HEXAHYDRATE Chemical Properties

Melting point:

60,2°C

Boiling point:

118℃ [HAW93]

Density 

2,807 g/cm³

solubility 

soluble in ethanol, ethyl ether

form 

yellow orthorhombic crystals

color 

yellow orthorhombic crystals, crystalline; hygroscopic

Water Solubility 

g/100g H2O: 98 (0°C), 122 (20°C), 474 (100°C) [LAN05]; very soluble alcohol, ether [MER06], data are in [SIE94]

Stability:

Radioactive, but chemically stable. Strong oxidant. Hygroscopic. Incompatible with combustible materials, reducing agents. May react explosively with cellulose and certain organic solvents.

CAS DataBase Reference

13520-83-7(CAS DataBase Reference)

EPA Substance Registry System

Uranium, bis(nitrato-.kappa.O)dioxo-, hexahydrate, (T-4)- (13520-83-7)

Safety Information

Hazard Codes 

T+,R,N

Risk Statements 

26/28-33-51/53

Safety Statements 

20/21-45-61

RIDADR 

2912

RTECS 

YR3850000

HazardClass 

7

PackingGroup 

II

HS Code 

28441000

Toxicity

cat,LDLo,oral,238mg/kg (238mg/kg),"Handbook of Toxicology," 4 vols., Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders Co., 1956-59Vol. 1, Pg. 310, 1955.

URANYL NITRATE HEXAHYDRATE Usage And Synthesis

Chemical Properties

yellow crystals

Uses

Uranyl nitrate can be used as an analytical reagent, as a lighting device in the photographic industry, and in the production of fine porcelain.

General Description

Acidic solution in water of uranyl nitrate, a radioactive yellow crystalline solid. Mildly chemically toxic. Contains nitric acid. Noncombustible, but will accelerate the burning of other combustible materials if concentrated or if the water evaporates. Large quantities may explode if exposed to fire. Produces toxic oxides of nitrogen if involved in fire. Radioactive materials emit certain rays which can be detected only by instruments. Unirradiated uranium is only mildly radioactive. Minimal radiation hazard during transportation. No protective shielding is required. Non-fissile (natural or depleted) uranium, containing not more than 1.0% u-235, cannot sustain a nuclear chain reaction.

Air & Water Reactions

Dissolves in water forming a weak solution of nitric acid, the reaction is not hazardous.

Reactivity Profile

Mixtures of metal/nonmetal nitrates with alkyl esters may explode, owing to the formation of alkyl nitrates; mixtures a nitrate with phosphorus, tin (II) chloride, or other reducing agents may react explosively [Bretherick 1979. p. 108-109]. Dissolves in water forming a weak solution of nitric acid, the reaction is not hazardous.

Health Hazard

Radiation presents minimal risk to transport workers, emergency response personnel and the public during transportation accidents. Packaging durability increases as potential hazard of radioactive content increases. Undamaged packages are safe. Contents of damaged packages may cause higher external radiation exposure, or both external and internal radiation exposure if contents are released. Low radiation hazard when material is inside container. If material is released from package or bulk container, hazard will vary from low to moderate. Level of hazard will depend on the type and amount of radioactivity, the kind of material it is in, and/or the surfaces it is on. Some material may be released from packages during accidents of moderate severity but risks to people are not great. Released radioactive materials or contaminated objects usually will be visible if packaging fails. Some exclusive use shipments of bulk and packaged materials will not have "RADIOACTIVE" labels. Placards, markings and shipping papers provide identification. Some packages may have a "RADIOACTIVE" label and a second hazard label. The second hazard is usually greater than the radiation hazard; so follow this GUIDE as well as the response GUIDE for the second hazard class label. Some radioactive materials cannot be detected by commonly available instruments. Runoff from control of cargo fire may cause low-level pollution.

Safety Profile

Poison by ingestion, subcutaneous, intravenous, and intraperitoneal routes. Mutation data reported. A corrosive irritant to skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. A raboactive material. When heated to decomposition it emits toxic fumes of NOx. See also URANIUM.

Synthesis

Take uranyl nitrate hexahydrate and prepare a saturated solution with water or 0.1-1mol/L nitric acid solution at room temperature. Put it in a pressure-resistant desiccator and gradually evacuate it. After the crystals are precipitated, a part of the crystals initially precipitated is removed by filtration, and then vacuum is continued to separate out the crystals. This part of the crystals is filtered out and placed in a desiccator filled with 35% to 40% sulfuric acid, dried and stored.

Purification Methods

Crystallise the nitrate from water by cooling to -5o, taking only the middle fraction of the solid which separates. Dry the deliquescent rhombic yellow crystals of the hexahydrate over 35-40% H2SO4 in a vacuum desiccator. The crystals reflect a greenish lustre. They are remarkable because on crushing, rubbing or shaking they show triboluminescence with occasional detonation. They are very soluble in EtOH, and solutions of the nitrate in Et2O can explode in the presence of sunlight.

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