EXAFS STUDIES OF CSBR-DIBENZO-18-CROWN-6 ETHER SOLUTIONS

An understanding of the structural binding properties of Cs-137 With ligands is paramount in designing chelates for waste treatment and isolation applications as well as for understanding sorption mechanisms to natural organic and inorganic colloids. We have investigated Cs bonding environments in crown ether complexes by employing Cs-133 as a probe for XAFS studies. Crown ethers represent a good first choice for XAFS structural studies because they have well-defined first and second shell environments. Additionally, the oxygen functional groups and bond distances can be easily manipulated by choice of specific crown ether molecules. The ability of XAFS to elucidate the structural environment of Cs within the crown ether complex will be useful in additional investigations in which the Cs is selectively bound within a cage of electronegative oxygen donors including humic and other organic substances, colloidal clay minerals and ion selective exchange resins used to treat nuclear wastes.