Dmytro V. Kravchuk

Biography

Dmytro Kravchuk is an assistant chemist in the Heavy Element Chemistry and Separation Science Group in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory. His research explores the solution and solid-state chemistry of high-valent uranium and transuranic elements to better understand their reactivity and speciation across the nuclear fuel cycle.

Research Summary

Dmytro Kravchuk studies materials made from actinides — elements such as neptunium and plutonium that are important in nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. He develops methods that allow these materials to be grown slowly in water at relatively low temperatures, producing very pure single crystals that scientists can study in detail.

Using these methods, he has created seven previously unknown crystal forms of neptunium and plutonium hydroxides and oxides. Among them are the first known plutonium(V) hydroxides, which had not been isolated before.

These well-defined crystals allow researchers to carefully measure the materials’ spectroscopic, electronic, and magnetic properties, helping scientists understand how these elements behave in nuclear fuel cycles and in high-level nuclear waste.

By linking how the materials are made, their atomic structure, and their physical properties, this work provides important reference data for scientists studying actinides. It also improves models of how plutonium and related elements react, change oxidation state, interact with water, and move through chemical systems. These insights are useful for developing better strategies for nuclear waste separation, long-term storage, and environmental cleanup.

Education

2023 Ph.D. in Chemistry, The University of Iowa
2018 B.S. in Chemistry, University of Northern Iowa

Awards

2025 Outstanding Postdoctoral Performance Award in Basic Research, Argonne National Laboratory
2023 A. Lynn Anderson Award for Research Excellence, The University of Iowa
2022 Graduate Research Excellence Award in the Physical Sciences, Office of Vice President for Research, The University of Iowa

Selected Publications

Kravchuk, D. V.; Mikeska, E. R.; Wilson, R. E. Accessibility and Reactivity of Pentavalent Plutonium under Alkaline Conditions. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2026, 148 (7), 6926-6938. DOI: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jacs.5c16525
Kravchuk, D. V.; Wilson, R. E. Reactions of Studtite UO₄·4H₂O in Alkali Hydroxides: Isolation of Single-Crystal Uranate Phases under Mild Hydrothermal Conditions. Crystal Growth & Design 2025. DOI: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.cgd.5c00701
Kravchuk, D. V.; Wilson, R. E. Stoichiometric Lanthanide Compounds with Diglycolamides: A Synthetic Approach toward Understanding Rare-Earth Speciation in Solution. Inorganic Chemistry 2024, 63 (46), 22049-22060. DOI: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c03434
Kravchuk, D. V.; Wang, X.; Servis, M. J.; Wilson, R. E., Structural Trends and Vibrational Analysis of N,N,N′,N′−Tetramethylmalonamide Complexes Across the Lanthanide Series. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry 2024, 27 (6), e202300632. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.202300632
Kravchuk, D. V.; Augustine, L. J.; Rajapaksha, H.; Benthin, G. C.; Batista, E. R.; Yang, P.; Forbes, T. Z., Insights into the Mechanism of Neptunium Oxidation to the Heptavalent State. Chemistry – A European Journal 2024, 30 (23), e202304049. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202304049
Kravchuk, D. V.; Forbes, T. Z., Mechanochemical activation and oxidation of U(IV)O2. ChemmComm 2022, 8 (28), 4528-4531, Invited 2022 Pioneering Investigators Article: https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CC00242F
Kravchuk, D. V.; Forbes, T. Z., Thermodynamics and Chemical Behavior of Uranyl Superoxide at Elevated Temperatures. ACS Materials Au 2022, 2 (1), 33-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialsau.1c00033
Kravchuk, D. V.; Dahlen, N. N.; Kruse, S. J.; Malliakas, C. D.; Shand, P. M.; Forbes, T. Z., Isolation and Reactivity of Uranyl Superoxide. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2021, 60 (27), 15041-15048. Hot Paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anie.202103039
Kravchuk, D. V.; Forbes, T. Z., In-Situ Generation of Organic Peroxide to Create a Nanotubular Uranyl Peroxide Phosphate. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2019, 58 (51), 18429-18433. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201910287

Patents

Forbes, T. Z., Kravchuk, D. V., Mechanochemical Oxidation Method, U.S. Patent Application # 18/085,880, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Department of Commerce, Filed December 21, 2022