A typical nuclear reactor uses only a small fraction of its fuel rod to produce power before the energy-generating reaction naturally terminates. What is left behind is an assortment of radioactive elements, including unused ...
Materials Science
May 4, 2020
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When compounds in spent nuclear fuel break down, they can release radioactive elements and contaminate the ground and water. Scientists know that one spent fuel compound, neptunium dioxide, reacts with water, but they do ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 16, 2021
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Associated with contamination in certain spots around the world, pentavalent neptunium does not always behave the same as its stand-in when moving through the soil, according to scientists at University of Notre Dame and ...
Materials Science
May 8, 2015
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Radioactive waste decaying down at the dump needs millions of years to stabilize. The element Neptunium, a waste product from uranium reactors, could pose an especially serious health risk should it ever seep its way into ...
Environment
Mar 17, 2011
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Researchers at The University of Manchester have discovered that an iron oxide mineral, hematite, reacts with radioactive neptunium to 'lock it up' within its structure. This could have profound implications for the environmental ...
Materials Science
Mar 7, 2016
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15
Oxidation is the process where atoms lose electrons during a chemical reaction. Among the radioactive elements, neptunium and plutonium are much harder to oxidize than uranium.
Analytical Chemistry
Nov 20, 2023
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16
Leftovers from nuclear reactors contain the element neptunium. To safely store the waste, scientists need to know more about how to control neptunium's chemistry. Knowing the stability of different oxidation states is central ...
Materials Science
Nov 8, 2018
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