Structural examination of K sub(2)PuCl sub(5)

Interest in the KCl-PuCl sub(3) system arises from the electrorefining of Pu metal. The binary system KCl-PuCl sub(3) has been investigated by Benz, Kahn and Leary, who constructed a phase diagram of the KCl-PuCl sub(3) system. In this diagram K sub(2)PuCl sub(5) appears as a line compound. No structural data on this phase have yet appeared in the open literature. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by presenting structural information on this compound obtained by X ray powder diffraction and information concerning its peritectic decomposition obtained by differential thermal analysis.