Chemists have found a new use for the waste product of nuclear power - transforming an unused stockpile into a versatile compound which could be used to create valuable commodity chemicals as well as new energy sources.
Depleted uranium (DU) is a radioactive by-product from the process used to create nuclear energy. Many fear the health risks from DU, as it is either stored in expensive facilities or used to manufacture controversial armour-piercing missiles.
But, in a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Professor Geoff Cloke, Professor Richard Layfield and Dr Nikolaos Tsoureas, all at the University of Sussex, have revealed that DU could, in fact, be more useful than we might think.
By using a catalyst which contains depleted uranium, the researchers have managed to convert ethylene (an alkene used to make plastic) into ethane (an alkane used to produce a number of other compounds including ethanol).
Their work is a breakthrough that could help reduce the heavy burden of large-scale storage of DU, and lead to the transformation of more complicated alkenes.
Prof Layfield said: "The ability to convert alkenes into alkanes is an important chemical reaction that means we may be able to take simple molecules and upgrade them into valuable commodity chemicals, like hydrogenated oils and petrochemicals which can be used as an energy source.
"The fact that we can use depleted uranium to do this provides proof that we don't need to be afraid of it as it might actually be very useful for us."
Journal Reference:
Nikolaos Tsoureas, Laurent Maron, Alexander F. R. Kilpatrick, Richard A. Layfield, F. Geoffrey N. Cloke. Ethene Activation and Catalytic Hydrogenation by a Low-Valent Uranium Pentalene Complex. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2019; 142 (1): 89 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b11929
(Score: 5, Touché) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday January 13 2020, @03:36AM (5 children)
Spoken like a man who has never personally investigated the exciting world of fluorine peroxides.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 13 2020, @01:25PM (4 children)
If you respect fluorine peroxides enough, you know enough you that you shouldn't mess with it unless really needed and very carefully ... exactly like you should respect trinitroglycerine
knowledge = respect
knowledge + fear = even higher respect
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday January 13 2020, @09:12PM (3 children)
Nah, you shouldn't mess with them ever. They make TATP look cute and huggable and it desperately desires to spontaneously explode in quantities over a gram. Well, unless you're just completely fed up with whatever building you plan to fabricate them in and all of your nearby neighbors. I mean, consider dioxygen difluoride (a.k.a. FOOF). You start out by pumping a fluorine/oxygen mixture through a 700C heating element. And it doesn't get any less suicidal going forward.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @08:08AM (2 children)
Don't you tend to die fast with those if "stuff happens"? I'd rather risk dying in seconds than suffer for weeks or months: https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/the-dangers-of-dimethylmercury-/3010064.article [chemistryworld.com]
Which would you prefer, a tiny drop of dimethylmercury on your hand or a tiny drop of FOOF on your hand?
I'd take the FOOF.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday January 15 2020, @12:43AM (1 child)
Fluorine is also poisonous in addition to being explosive, so six of one, half a dozen of the other.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @11:11AM
Still not as scary. https://ehs.berkeley.edu/lessons-learned/lesson-learned-researcher-smells-toxic-fluorine-gas-when-changing-out-gas-cylinder [berkeley.edu]