COULOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS AT CONTROLLED POTENTIAL. Final Report. Progress Report, February 20, 1963-February 29, 1964

Technical Report · Fri Mar 20 04:00:00 EST 1964

OSTI ID:4032270

Wise, E N

BS>The polarographic study and coulometric analysis of reducible rare earth elements using acetonitrile as the solvent and tetraethylammonium perchlorate as the electrolyte was continued. Polarography of europium perchlorate produced half-wave potentials less cathodic than literature values. The literature values could be duplicated by adding a very small amount of water to the system. Polarography of a mixture of rare-earth nitrates yielded one welldefined wave, probably due to the reduction of nitrate ion, that masked the reduction of other rare-earth elements. Coulometric reduction of europium from the mixture of rare-earth nitrates proceeded smoothly with excellent results. Polarography of a mixture of rare-earth perchlorates gave well-defined, well- separated waves for Eu(III)(II), Yb(III) -(II), and Sm(III)-(II) reductions. Coulometric reduction of a mixture of rare-earth perchlorates gave encouraging but not complely satlsfactory results. The electrochemical mechanism of the Eu(III)-(II) reduction at a mercury electrode was extensively studied. A theoretical description of the electrochemical mechanism of the reduction of rare- earth elements in aqueous, methanol, and acetonitrile solvents was developed which will aid in the prompt evaluation of other solvent-electrolyte systems. The optimum conditions for determining trace amounts of europium and uranlum by the chemical stripping of zinc and cadmium, respectively, from a hanging mercury drop electrode were determined. (N.W.R.)

• Research Organization: Arizona. Univ., Tucson
• NSA Number: NSA-18-019851
• OSTI ID: 4032270
• Report Number(s): TID-20548
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACETIC ACID
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
CADMIUM
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
COULOMETRY
CYANIDES
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
ELECTRODES
ELECTROLYTIC CELLS
ETHYL RADICALS
EUROPIUM
EUROPIUM COMPOUNDS
MERCURY
METHANOL
MIXING
NITRATES
NITRILES
PERCHLORIC ACID
POLAROGRAPHY
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
RARE EARTHS
REACTION KINETICS
REDUCTION
SAMARIUM COMPOUNDS
TRACE AMOUNTS
URANIUM
WATER
YTTERBIUM COMPOUNDS
ZINC