Isotope fractionation process

Claim 1

A NEW AND IMPROVED PROCESS FOR ENRICHING, WITH RESPECT TO AT LEAST ONE ISOTOPE, URANIUM INITIALLY ISOTOPICALLY COMPRISING URANIUM-235 AND URANIUM-238, WHICH COMPRISES INTIMATELY CONTACTING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID URANIUM IN DISSOLVED TETRAVALENT CATIONIC STATE, WITH A WATER-IMMISCIBLE ORGANIC SOLVENT CONTAINING DISSOLVED THEREIN A WATER-INSOLUBLE CHELATE INNER COMPLEX OF SAID URANIUM IN TETRAVALENT STATE DERIVED FROM A CORRESPONDING CHELATE INNER COMPLEXANT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CUPEFERRON, BENZOHYDROXAMIX ACID, BENZYLHYDROXAMIC ACID, B-PHENYLPROPANHYDROXAMIX ACID, BENZOYLFORMIC ACID, DIBENZOYL METHANE, ETHYL BENZOYLPYRUVATE, ETHYL THOGLYCOLIC ACID, SODIUM EIETHYLDITHIOCARBAMATE, THENOYLTRIFLUORACETONE, TRIFLUOROACETONATE, AND AMMONIUM THIOPCYANATE, WHILE RESTRICTING THE TOTAL CUMULATIVE AMOUNT OF CHELATE INNER COMPLEXANT INCORPORATED IN THE SYSTEM TO A SUBSTANTIALLY SUN-STOICHIOMETRIC QUANTITY WITH RESPECT TO THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF URANIUM PRESENT IN THE SYSTE, THEREBY CONCENTRATING URANIUM-235 IN THE AQUEOUS SOLUTION AND URANIUM-238 AS CHELATE INNER COMPLEX IN THE ORGANIC SOLVENT, AND THEREUPON SEPARATING THE RESULTING AQUEOUS PHASE FROM THE RESULTING ORGANIC PHASE.