Radiochemistry
About the Program
Radiochemistry is the discipline dedicated to the study of the chemical and physical properties of radioactive elements. Radiochemists utilize both the radioactive and chemical characteristics of elements and compounds to address technical needs in many areas, including:
- The speciation and behavior of containments in the environment
- Radioactive waste treatment and disposal
- Beneficial uses of radioactive materials throughout the medical profession
The field demands that professionals in this area have a thorough understanding of both the theoretical and applied aspects of radiochemistry that are well founded in basic sciences and mathematics.
The UNLV Radiochemistry program is committed to student research. The growing and expanding program has graduate students engaged in research paying an initial stipend of $25,000/year, including full tuition, fees, and health insurance.
Laboratories
The RadChem program collaborates with several national and international laboratories including Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Nevada Site Office, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and others.
The program has over 7,500 square feet of radiochemistry laboratories capable of handling a range of activities. These facilities contain a host of experimental equipment for use in experiments:
- Radionuclide counting facilities: Gamma detectors, alpha detectors, scintillation counter
- Spectroscopy: Infrared, UV-Visible, Laser, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy, Synchrotron (at national facilities)
- X-ray diffraction: Powder, Single Crystal
- Microscopy: Scanning, Tunneling
- Analytical: ICP-Atomic Emission, ICP-Mass spectroscopy, Electrospray
UNLV is the ideal location for graduate radiochemistry research. The Radiochemistry Ph.D. program has numerous ties to national and international laboratories, providing opportunities for internships and travel. The program has the capability and expertise to perform experiments with radionuclides, and is close to the Nevada Test Site and Yucca Mountain. Las Vegas offers all the opportunities of a 24-hour city and a range of outdoor activities, including world-class hiking and mountain biking.
Laboratory Management
The Radiochemistry Program at UNLV has certified processes to ensure that our lab results are accurate and reliable. Our staff works to make certain we have a safe working environment for UNLV students, faculty, researchers and visitors. They are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program including laboratory management, equipment maintenance and safety training as well as the business functions of the unit. Radiochemistry personnel guide students in the areas of laboratory policies and procedures, safety training, and university policies and procedures regarding academic advancement.
Publications and Press
Recent Publications
- Closing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle with a Simplified Minor Actinide Lanthanide Separation Process (ALSEP) and Additive Manufacturing
- Uncovering Multiple Metal–Metal Bonding in a TetranuclearFluoride Rhenium Cluster or the Curious Case of {[Ni(H2O)6](NH4)4}[Re4F18]·4H2O
- Preparation and characterization of benzotriazolium perrhenate
- Tetraethylammonium Hexafluoro Uranate(IV), Hafnate(IV), and Cerate(IV) Salts: Preparation and Solid‐state Structure
In the News
Student Projects
- Use of Sodium Bismuthate Chromatography for Separation of Americium from Curium and Other Elements in Spent Nuclear Fuel, Jason Michael Richards, 2018
- Crystallographic Exploration of Fundamental Technetium Species at Nonambient Conditions, Daniel S. Mast, 2018
- Mechanisms for the Incorporation and Distribution of Radionuclides in Near-Surface Fallout, Marc Alan Fitzgerald, 2018
- Rapid Methods for Actinide and Strontium-89,90 Determination in Urban Matrices, Sherrod Maxwell, 2018
- Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Studies of Technetium-99m and Rhenium-188 Peptides, Vanessa Anne Sanders, 2017
- Volatile Technetium Oxides: Implications for Nuclear Waste Vitrification, Bradley Covington Childs, 2017
- Direct Dissolution and Electrochemical Investigation of Cerium and Uranium in Ionic Liquid, Janelle Droessler, 2016
- Binary Technetium Halides, Erik Vaughan Johnstone, 2014
- Forensic Signatures of Chemical Process History in Uranium Oxides, Jonathan Plaue, 2013
- Characterization of plutonium particles originating from the BOMARC accident -1960, Richard Charles Gostic, 2010
- Evaluation of low-temperature fluoride routes to synthesize actinide nitrides and oxide solid solutions, Gunanda Waduge Chinthaka Silva, 2009
Contact
Mailing Address
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies
Box 454009
4505 Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89154-4009
Phone
702-895-1458
Fax
702-895-1907
Campus Location
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art and Harry Reid Center (MSM), Room 311
Office Hours
Monday through Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Faculty/Staff
Ken Czerwinski
Zhange Feng
Paul Forster
Art Gelis
Director, Radiochemistry Program
David Hatchett, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry/Radiochemistry
Wendee Johns
Eunja Kim
Daniel Koury
Frederic Poineau
Cory Rusinek
