[en] The reactor dynamics code DYN3D is currently under extension for Sodium cooled Fast Reactor applications. The control rod withdrawal benchmark from the Phenix End-of-Life experiments was selected for verification and validation purposes. This report presents some selected results to demonstrate the feasibility of using DYN3D for steady-state Sodium cooled Fast Reactor analyses.

[en] This work extends the hybrid micro-depletion methodology, recently implemented in DYN3D, to the decay heat calculation by accounting explicitly for the heat contribution from the decay of each nuclide in the fuel.

[en] Two chiral benzamidinate complexes of tetravalent actinides (Th(IV) and U(IV)) were synthesized using a salt metathesis reaction of the corresponding actinide(IV) tetrachlorides and the potassium salt of the chiral benzamidine (S,S)-N,N-Bis-(1-phenylethyl)-benzamidine ((S)-HPEBA). The structure of the complexes was determined with single crystal X-ray diffraction. These are the first examples of chiral amidinate complexes of actinides.

[en] Flavonoids are secondary plant compounds and have important properties. Beside their antioxidant activity and effects as enzyme inhibitors, they can bind metals ions. The possible release of flavonoids from the root into the soil can affect the migration of radionuclides in the biological and geological environment. In this work, the complexation behavior of selected flavonols and a flavonol glycoside towards U(VI) were spectroscopically investigated and the corresponding complex stability constants were determined.

[en] Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) was applied to characterize uranium(VI)- acetate species based on their luminescence properties. In contrast to previous interpretations, no indications were detected for the existence of the 1: 3 complex.

[en] Uranium(VI) shows a concentration-dependent influence on the metabolic activity of plant cells. With increasing U(VI) concentration, the predominant U(VI) species in medium R_r_e_d changes from UO_2HPO_4(s) to (UO_2)_3(OH)_5"+, which may affect the bioavailability of U(VI).

[en] The time-dependent "2"4"2Pu oxidation state distribution in the presence of Sporomusa sp. cells as a function of pH with or without Na-pyruvate was analyzed. In all cases, the presence of bacterial cells enhanced removal of Pu from solution and accelerated Pu interaction reactions, e.g. biosorption and bioreduction.

[en] Valence-band X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) with a ''pink beam'', i.e. a beam with large energy bandwidth produced by a double-multilayer monochromator, is introduced here to overcome the weak count rate of monochromatic beams produced by conventional double-crystal monochromators. Our results demonstrate that - in spite of the large bandwidth in the order of 100 eV - the high spectral resolution of the Johann-type spectrometer is maintained, while the two orders of magnitude higher flux greatly reduces the required counting time. The short working distance Johann-type X-ray emission spectrometer and multilayer monochromator is available at ROBL.

[en] To evaluate the potential health risks caused by the ingestion of lanthanides (Ln) and actinides (An), investigations into the chemical behavior of these metals in the human gastrointestinal tract are necessary. Mucin is an important part of the protective mucosa layer in the digestive system. We have recently reported that mucin interacts strongly with Eu(III) and Cm(III), representatives of Ln(III) and An(III), respectively, under in vivo conditions. In order to investigate the complexation behavior of this protein with Ln(III)/An(III), TRLFS measurements were performed on Eu(III)/Cm(III)-mucin solutions with different protein concentrations and at different pH. The results indicate the formation of at least two independent mucin species. At higher pH, the formation of hydroxide species was also observed.

[en] The uptake of trivalent Eu and Cm on zirconium(IV) oxide was investigated in batch sorption and TRLFS studies, respectively. Sorption of Eu"3"+ was found to start at a pH-value of 4. Based on TRLFS results, sorption of Cm"3"+ was assigned to occur through innersphere complex formation at the zirconia surface. A deconvolution of the TRLFS emission spectra gave three different sorption species with strong red-shifts of the peak positions (600.3 nm, 604.3 nm and 608.2 nm) compared to similar systems.