The Chemistry of Protactinium

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Abstract
Protactinium exhibits an ambivalent chemical behavior. In non‐aqueous solutions and in the solid state, both quadrivalent and quinquevalent protactinium has properties which characterize it as a typical actinide element. On the other hand, investigations in aqueous solution show quinquevalent protactinium to be a homologue of niobium and tantalum. It exhibits – except in hydrofluoric acid solutions – a marked tendency to undergo irreversible hydrolysis and condensation reactions, which leads to the situation that tracer amounts (ca. 10−12mole/l) and macroscopic amounts (10−3–10−6mole/l) of protactinium often behave differently. Reduction with strong reducing agents gives aqueous solutions of Pa(IV), the properties of which again correspond in general to those of Th(IV) and show no relation to Nb(IV). Our knowledge of the chemical behavior of this rare radioelement has been advanced, in particular, by the production in 1958–1960 of 100 g of pure protactinium – the largest amount so far – from residues of the British production of uranium.

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