Low-temperature synthesis of actinide tetraborides by solid-state metathesis reactions

摘要

The synthesis of actinide tetraborides including uranium tetraboride (UB4), plutonium tetraboride (PuB4) and thorium tetraboride (ThB4) by a solid-state metathesis reaction are demonstrated. The present method significantly lowers the temperature required to <=850° C. As an example, when UCl4 is reacted with an excess of MgB2, at 850° C., crystalline UB4 is formed. Powder X-ray diffraction and ICP-AES data support the reduction of UCl3 as the initial step in the reaction. The UB4 product is purified by washing water and drying.