Uranyl peroxide

Uranyl peroxide or uranium peroxide hydrate (UO4·nH2O) is a pale-yellow, soluble peroxide of uranium. It is found to be present at one stage of the enriched uranium fuel cycle and in yellowcake prepared via the "in situ" leaching and resin ion exchange system. This compound, also expressed as:
UO3·(H2O2)·(H2O), is very similar to uranium trioxide hydrate UO3·nH2O. The dissolution behaviour of both compounds are very sensitive to the hydration state (n can vary between 0 and 4). One main characteristic of uranium peroxide is that it consists of small needles with an average AMAD of about 1.1 µm.
The uranyl minerals studtite, UO4·4H2O, and metastudtite, UO4·2H2O, are the only minerals discovered to date found to contain peroxide. The tetrahydrate is synthesised at room temperature by reaction of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate and hydrogen peroxide. The product is a light yellow powder. 