Synthesis of novel bistriazolyl-1,10-phenanthrolines for the separation of trivalent actinides from lanthanides

Lanthanide(III)/actinide/(III) partitioning is a societally relevant research area as it may provide an alternative solution for the long term storage of radioactive waste in deep geological repositories with the associated risk for future generations. Soft N-donor tetradentate phenanthroline ligands were previously recognized as superior extractants with high selectivity for the actinides over the lanthanides. However, due to the lack of robust synthetic access, these ligands have not been further studied. The current project will focus on the development of novel tetradentate bis-1,2,3-triazolyl- and bis-1,2,4-triazolyl-1,10-phenanthrolines with various substitution patterns. Aiming to address to current limitations, the synthetic pathways should be robust and cost-effective. Both lipophilic and hydrophilic substituents will be incorporated in order to obtain ligands that can be used in various process designs. At SCK CEN in Mol, Belgium, the properties of the newly synthesized ligands will be evaluated.

Keywords:1,2,3-triazoles, 1,2,4-triazoles, phenanthrolines, actinides, lanthanides

Disciplines:Organic chemical synthesis, f-block chemistry, Synthesis of materials