[en] A novel photochemical method of removing reactive fluorides from UF₆ gas has been discovered. This method reduces generated waste to little more than the volume of the removed impurities, minimizes loss of UF₆, and can produce a recyclable by-product, fluorine gas. In our new method, impure UF₆, is exposed to ultraviolet light which dissociates the UF₆ to UF₅ and fluorine atom. Impurities which chemically react with UF₅ are reduced and form solid compounds easily removed from the gas while UF₅ is converted back to UF₆. Proof-of-concept testing involved UF₆ containing NpF₆ and PuF₆ with CO added as a fluorine atom scavenger. In a single photolysis step, greater than 5000-fold reduction of PuF₆ was demonstrated while reducing NpF₆ by more than 40-fold. This process is likely to remove corrosion and fission product fluorides that are more reactive than UF₆ and has been demonstrated without an added fluorine atom scavenger by periodically removing photogenerated fluorine gas. 44 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs