Studtite, chemical formula (UO2)O2(H2O)2·2(H2O)[ or UO4·4(H2O),][ is a weathering uranium mineral containing peroxide formed by the alpha particle-radiolysis of water during formation.]
Studtite was originally described by Vaes in 1947[Annales de la Société Géologique de Belgique - 1947 - pp B212 to B226- J.F. Vaes - Six nouveaux minéraux d'urane provenant de Shinkolobwe (Katanga) -] from specimens from Shinkolobwe, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga Province (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo, and has since been reported from several other localities. The mineral was named for Franz Edward Studt, an English Prospecting and geologist who was working for the Belgians.
When exposed to air studtite converts over a short time to the metastudtite UO4·2(H2O) form. Despite their apparent chemical simplicity, these two uranyl species are the only reported peroxide minerals.[
]
They may also be readily formed on the surface of nuclear waste under long-term storage and have been found on the surface of spent nuclear fuel stored at the Hanford Site.[
] It has also been reported that studtite has since formed on the corium lavas that were created during the course of the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident.[ Thus, there is considerable evidence that such as studtite and metastudtite will be important alteration phases of nuclear waste, possibly at the expense of other minerals, such as Uranium oxide and silicates, which have been more thoroughly studied and are better understood. The formation of these minerals may impact the long-term performance of deep geological repository sites such as Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.][ Due to insufficient information about these minerals it is unknown if they will make radioactive wastes more or less stable, but the presence of studtite and metastudtite provides a pathway for mobilizing insoluble U(IV) from the corroding fuel surface into soluble uranyl species.]
