Reactions of Sodium Peroxide with Components of Legacy Plutonium Materials

Plutonium oxide (PuO 2 ) calcined at >900 °C resists dissolution in nitric acid (HNO 3 )-potassium fluoride (KF) solutions commonly used for their dissolution. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has developed an alternate method for large samples of PuO 2 -bearing materials using sodium peroxide (Na 2 O 2 ) fusion as a pretreatment. The products of the reaction between Na 2 O 2 and PuO 2 have been reported in the literature. As part of the SRNL development effort, additional data about the reaction between Na 2 O 2 and PuO 2 were required. Also needed were data concerning the reaction of Na 2 O 2 with other components that may be present in the feed materials. Sodium peroxide was reacted with aluminum metal (Al), beryllium metal (Be), graphite, potassium chloride (KCl), magnesium chloride (MgCl 2 ), and calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ). The paper reports and discusses the reaction products of these and related compounds with Na 2 O 2 .