Recent progress in the assembly of actinide-containing coordination clusters has generated systems in which the first glimpses of magnetic exchange coupling can be recognized. Such systems are of interest owing to the prospects for involving 5f electrons in stronger magnetic exchange than has been observed for electrons in the more contracted 4f orbitals of the lanthanide elements. Here, we sur...

Total amount of uranium resource in seawater is one thousand times of that in terrestrial ores. A polymeric adsorbent being capable of collecting uranium in seawater was developed in early 1980s, since uranium is inevitable resource to operate atomic power plants. This adsorbent fabric was synthesized by radiation-induced graft polymerization which could impart a desired functional group into f...

The use of in vitro dissolution tests for estimating the in vivo solubility of inhaled radioactive aerosols is being increasingly considered for both prospective and retrospective exposure/dose assessments, mainly because such tests are relatively simple to conduct (compared to in vivo experiments) and because current respiratory tract dosimetry models (e.g., ICRP Publication 66, 1994) provide ...

The reaction mechanism and kinetics of the thermal decomposition of uranium dinitride/uranium sesquinitride to uranium mononitride under inert atmosphere at elevated temperature were studied. An increase in the lattice parameter of the UN(2)/alpha-U(2)N(3) phase was observed as the reaction temperature increased, corresponding to a continuous removal of nitrogen. Electron density calculations f...

Natural uranium is comprised of three radioactive isotopes: 238 U, 235 U, and 234 U. Depleted uranium (DU) is a byproduct of the processes for the enrichment of the naturally occurring 235 U isotope. The world wide stock pile contains some 11⁄2 million tons of depleted uranium. Some of it has been used to dilute weapons grade uranium (~90% 235 U) down to reactor grade uranium (~5% 235 U), and s...

Depleted uranium (DU) is a dense heavy metal used primarily in military applications. Although the health effects of occupational uranium exposure are well known, limited data exist regarding the long-term health effects of internalized DU in humans. We established an in vitro cellular model to study DU exposure. Microdosimetric assessment, determined using a Monte Carlo computer simulation bas...

Microorganisms can enzymatically reduce a variety of metals in metabolic processes that are not related to metal assimilation. Some microorganisms can conserve energy to support growth by coupling the oxidation of simple organic acids and alcohols, H2, or aromatic compounds to the reduction of Fe(III) or Mn(IV). This dissimilatory Fe(III) and Mn(IV) reduction influences the organic as well as t...