Reaction Kinetics of Powdered Uranium and Deuteroammonia

A rate law for the nitridation of pyrophoric uranium with deuteroammonia was established for the entire course of the reaction. The rate of reaction between powdered uranium and deuteroammonia was determined to be a linear function of the initial Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area and t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of chemical physics 1966-01, Vol.45 (11), p.3958-3965
Main Authors: Alire, R. M., McCrary, J. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:A rate law for the nitridation of pyrophoric uranium with deuteroammonia was established for the entire course of the reaction. The rate of reaction between powdered uranium and deuteroammonia was determined to be a linear function of the initial Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area and the fraction of unreacted uranium. Sintering of powdered uranium to a stable surface area was found to be a prerequisite to reproducible experiments. The fractional composition of the products UN and U2N3–UN2 solid solution was found to be constant for the entire course of the reaction. An interpretation of the results was done in terms of a diffusion mechanism involving diffusion of uranium ions to the surface as the rate-determining step. The temperature coefficient in the range 265°—385°C was described by the Arrhenius law and the activation energy was measured to be 25±3 kcal/mole of uranium reacted.
ISSN:0021-9606
1089-7690
DOI:10.1063/1.1727445