Plutonium oxychloride


Plutonium oxychloride is an inorganic compound of plutonium, oxygen, and chlorine with the chemical formula.

Synthesis

It is produced in a reaction of plutonium oxide with calcium chloride:
It is also formed in trace quantities in the reaction between plutonium trichloride and calcium oxide, which mainly produces plutonium monoxide:
The compound is also synthesized by heating in a sealed tube, or by treating or at 650 °C with a vapour mixture prepared via bubbling through aqueous HCl.

Physical properties

Plutonium oxychloride appears as a green or blue-green crystals that are insoluble in water but dissolve in dilute acidic solutions. X-ray diffraction analysis of PuOCl reveals a tetragonal crystal structure, with two molecules present in each unit cell.

Chemical properties

PuOCl reacts with calcium or high-temperature barium vapour to form plutonium monoxide.