Sarah Heath

Biography

BSc. University of Kent at Canterbury 1989, PhD University of East Anglia 1992, Research Fellow University of East Anglia 1993, HCM Fellow, University of Trieste, Italy 1994, Temporary Lecturer, University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 1995, Royal Society URF and Lecturer, University of Sheffield 1996-1999, Royal Society URF and Lecturer, University of York 1999-2002 Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester 2002 - 2005 Reader, University of Manchester 2005 -

Research Interest

We are interested in the behaviour in aqueous solution of the actinide ions. Our previous work with lewis acidic transition metal ions has shown that it is possible to control the hydrolysis products of these metals in the presence of chelating organic ligands by carefully controlling the pH of the system. The same principles should apply to the chemistry of the actinide ions as they too are lewis acidic. Therefore we hypothesize that we can control the hydrolysis products of the actinide ions in the presence of chelating organic ligands by careful control of pH and conversely we will be able to predict the types of actinide hydrolysis products that will form under specific pH conditions depending on the types of ligands present. Such chemistry has obvious implications for understanding the behaviour of the waste in the high pH storage ponds in sites. This chemistry could also be applied to understanding and controlling the chemistry of effluent waste.