Abstract:

1-Octanol is a promising solvent for the extraction of high-level radioactive waste from nuclear fuel reprocessing and a study of radiation effects on 1-octanol is necessary before its industrial application in high-radiation environments. In this work, UV-Vis spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to investigate the radiation stability of 1-octanol in nitrogen for the first time. Results indicate that 1-octanol is chemically stable at a dose of 100 kGy and that compounds containing a carboxyl group are formed at a dose of more than 300 kGy. The major radiolysis products of irradiated 1-octanol at 600 kGy were analyzed using gas chromatography(GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). Hydrogen was formed as a major gaseous product and small amounts of carbon dioxide and methane were also found. The dominant liquid product was 1-octanal and its mass percent was less than 1% in the 1-octanol solution. Small amounts of heptane and 8-pentadecanol were also produced. Analysis of the chemical structure and radiolysis products of the irradiated 1-octanol suggests that during gamma irradiation in nitrogen, C—H bond breakage at the α-carbon in 1-octanol is the dominant reaction and the C—C bond at the β-carbon can break as well. Additionally, hydrogen abstraction reactions occur between the primary H-atom radical produced during irradiation and 1-octanol.

Key words: Chemical structure, 1-Octanol, Radiation stability, γ-Radiolysis product, Chromatographic analysis