This research article describes a facile synthesis of uranium trichloride (UCl₃) from a pyridine precursor UCl₃py₂ (py=pyridine) improving accessibility to this compound. It is envisioned that this preparation will be adopted by many laboratories, enabling broader studies of its properties for molten salt technologies and other applications.

Abstract

Renewed interest in advanced nuclear reactors, such as Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs), has spurred studies in actinide halide chemistry and property measurements. Several proposed research-scale and commercial MSR designs incorporate uranium trichloride (UCl₃) fuel. There are relatively few preparations for isolated actinide halides reported in the literature, therefore novel methods for the isolation of pure material are desired. This communication describes the thermal elimination of pyridine (py) from the coordination complex UCl₃py₂ to yield gram-scale quantities of UCl₃. The purity of the UCl₃ product was determined through powder X-ray Diffractometry (pXRD) and Elemental Analysis (EA).