Abstract
Since uranous sulphate forms no double sulphate with sodium sulphate or the rare-earth sulphates which is insoluble in water or dilute sulphuric acid, it might be expected that tetravalent uranium would pass into the filtrates when the cerium group is separated from acid solutions of the sulphates as the double sodium sulphates. Certain cations not necessarily tripositively charged, for example, Th4+, the ionic radii of which are close to those of the cerium group elements1, tend to be coprecipitated when this group is separated as double sodium sulphates2, although no corresponding insoluble double sulphates are known. The radius of the uranous ion, however, is almost equal to that of yttrium1, so there is added reason to expect tetravalent uranium in the soluble double-sulphate fractions. It has been found, on the contrary, that uranous sulphate in acid solution is either partly or wholly precipitated with cerium and the cerium group elements, the extent of coprecipitation depending mainly on the concentration of uranous and rare-earth ions. When the uranium concentration is sufficiently high, a pale green precipitate is obtained, the colour of which is more evident in artificial light.
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References
Hassel, O., trans, by B. C. Evans, âœCrystal Chemistryâ, 11 (Heinemann, London, 1935).
Pilkington, E. S., and Wylie, A. W., J. Soc. Chem. Ind., in the press.
Kolthoff, I. M., and Lingane, J. J., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 55, 1871 (1933).
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WYLIE, A. Coprecipitation of Uranous Sulphate with Rare-Earth Double Sulphates. Nature 160, 830 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/160830a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/160830a0
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