Acta Chimica Sinica ›› 2024, Vol. 82 ›› Issue (10): 1050-1057.DOI: 10.6023/A24080234 Previous Articles     Next Articles

Article

羟基和氨基取代偕胺肟用于海水提铀的理论研究

黄伊晨a,b, 聂长明a,*(), 王聪芝b,*(), 陈树森c, 宋艳c, 李昊c, 石伟群b,*()   

  1. a 南华大学 化学化工学院 湖南 衡阳 421001
    b 中国科学院高能物理研究所 核能放射化学实验室 北京 100049
    c 核工业北京化工冶金研究院 中核海水提铀技术重点实验室 北京 101149
  • 投稿日期:2024-08-07 发布日期:2024-10-08
  • 基金资助:
    中国海水提铀技术创新联盟创新发展基金(CNNC-CXLM-202216); 中国海水提铀技术创新联盟创新发展基金(CNNC-CXLM-202204); 国家自然科学基金(U2067212); 国家杰出青年科学基金(21925603)

Theoretical Study of Hydroxyl- and Amino-substituted Amidoxime Ligands for Extraction of Uranium from Seawater

Yichen Huanga,b, Changming Niea(), Congzhi Wangb(), Shusen Chenc, Yan Songc, Hao Lic, Weiqun Shib()   

  1. a School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of South China, Hengyang Hunan 421001, China
    b Laboratory of Nuclear Energy Chemistry, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    c CNNC Key Laboratory on Uranium Extraction from Seawater, Beijing Research Institute of Chemical Engineering and Metallurgy, Beijing 101149, China
  • Received:2024-08-07 Published:2024-10-08
  • Contact: *E-mail: niecm196132@163.com; wangcongzhi@ihep.ac.cn; shiwq@ihep.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    Innovation Development Fund of China Seawater Uranium Extraction Technology Innovation Alliance(CNNC-CXLM-202216); Innovation Development Fund of China Seawater Uranium Extraction Technology Innovation Alliance(CNNC-CXLM-202204); National Natural Science Foundation of China(U2067212); National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(21925603)

As the main fuel for the operation of nuclear power plants, uranium is mainly supplied through terrestrial mining. However, terrestrial uranium resources are insufficient and unevenly distributed, and the mining process is prone to environmental pollution. In contrast, seawater contains about 4.5 billion tons of uranium, which is 1000 times the total amount of terrestrial uranium resources. If utilized effectively, it could meet the demand for nuclear energy for thousands of years. However, it is extremely difficult to extract uranium from seawater. At present, the most effective and economical method for extracting uranium from seawater is the adsorption method, and the key lies in the development of highly selective, low-cost, simple and durable adsorbent materials. The amidoxime ligands have attracted extensive attention in the field of uranium extraction from seawater because of their better coordination capacity to uranyl cations. It was found that the introduction of hydroxyl and amino groups into amidoxime ligands could improve their adsorption capacity for uranyl cations. In order to investigate the extraction mechanism of hydroxyl- and amino-substituted amidoxime derivatives with uranyl cations, the present work systematically investigates the structures, bonding properties, and thermodynamic stabilities of four amidoxime ligands (HL1: N',3-dihydroxypropionamidine; HL2: 3-amino-N'-hydroxypropionamidine; HL3: N',2-dihydroxypropio- namidine; HL4: 2-amino-N'-hydroxypropionamidine) and its mono-, di-, and tri-substituted uranyl complexes by density functional theory (DFT). The results show that the presence of hydrogen bonding enhances the stability of the uranyl complexes, and the L2 ligand has stronger covalent interaction with the uranyl cations compared to the other three ligands. However, the relatively high dissociation energy of the HL2 ligand leads the HL1 ligand to be more susceptible from substitution reactions with [UO2(CO3)3]4− compared to HL2. Comparing with unmodified amidoxime (HAO) ligands, HL1 may be a potential ligand that can be applied to seawater uranium extraction. The present work provides theoretical clues for the design and development of adsorption groups for efficient seawater extraction of uranium.

Key words: amidoxime, uranium extraction from seawater, amino, hydroxyl, density functional theory