Gadolinium nitrate
Encyclopedia
Gadolinium nitrate is an inorganic compound of gadolinium
. It is used as a water-soluble neutron poison in nuclear reactor
s. Gadolinium nitrate, like all nitrates, is an oxidizing agent
.
heavy water nuclear reactors and has to be separated from the heavy water for storage or reuse.
The Canadian CANDU reactor
, a pressurized heavy water reactor, also uses gadolinium nitrate as a water-soluble neutron poison.
Gadolinium nitrate is also used as a raw material in the production of other gadolinium compounds, for production of specialty glasses and ceramics and as a phosphor
.
Gadolinium
Gadolinium is a chemical element with the symbol Gd and atomic number 64. It is a silvery-white, malleable and ductile rare-earth metal. It is found in nature only in combined form. Gadolinium was first detected spectroscopically in 1880 by de Marignac who separated its oxide and is credited with...
. It is used as a water-soluble neutron poison in nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
s. Gadolinium nitrate, like all nitrates, is an oxidizing agent
Oxidizing agent
An oxidizing agent can be defined as a substance that removes electrons from another reactant in a redox chemical reaction...
.
Use
Gadolinium nitrate was used at the Savannah River SiteSavannah River Site
The Savannah River Site is a nuclear reservation in the United States in the state of South Carolina, located on land in Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell Counties adjacent to the Savannah River, southeast of Augusta, Georgia. The site was built during the 1950s to refine nuclear materials for...
heavy water nuclear reactors and has to be separated from the heavy water for storage or reuse.
The Canadian CANDU reactor
CANDU reactor
The CANDU reactor is a Canadian-invented, pressurized heavy water reactor. The acronym refers to its deuterium-oxide moderator and its use of uranium fuel...
, a pressurized heavy water reactor, also uses gadolinium nitrate as a water-soluble neutron poison.
Gadolinium nitrate is also used as a raw material in the production of other gadolinium compounds, for production of specialty glasses and ceramics and as a phosphor
Phosphor
A phosphor, most generally, is a substance that exhibits the phenomenon of luminescence. Somewhat confusingly, this includes both phosphorescent materials, which show a slow decay in brightness , and fluorescent materials, where the emission decay takes place over tens of nanoseconds...
.