Synthesis and extraction behavior of alkyl and cyclic aminophosphonates towards actinides

[Display omitted] •AmPs bearing alkyl, cyclic & alicyclic substituents for the extraction of actinides.•AmPs bearing alkyl substation are better for actinide extraction.•Aromatic substituted AmPs did not showed any extraction towards the actinides. Alkyl and cyclic substituted aminophosphonates (AmPs) were synthesized and characterized with various spectroscopic techniques. The molecular structures of diphenyl phenyl aminophosphonate (DPhPhAmP) and diphenyl cyclohexyl aminophosphonate (DPhCyAmP) were elucidated based on the single crystal XRD analysis. Extraction behavior of these synthesized AmPs were investigated with some actinides [U(VI), Th(IV), and Am(III)] and also studied their acid uptake as a function of nitric acid concentration. Here we have compared the extraction behavior of aminophosphonates (AmPs) towards actinides as a function of alkyl, cyclic and alicyclic substituents.