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THE ANALYSIS OF URINE FOR TRACES OF AMERICIUM AND OTHER ALPHA EMITTERS

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4289302
A method in use at the Argonne National Laboratory for the estimation of actinium, thorium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, and curium in urine involves the coprecipitation of these alpha emitters on bismuth phosphnte from a nitric acid solution of oxidized urine, followed by the re-solution of the precipitate in hydro chloric acid and a second coprecipitation with a restricted quantity of lanthanum fluoride carrier, which is subsequently alpha counted. The present work was concerned with the recovery of americium from urine, and revealed serious potential interferences from reagent blanks, from acidity, from chloride and from iron. The method was successfully modified to eliminate such interfcrences, when recoveries of the order of 90 were obtained from twenty-four hour urine samples at a level of 3 disintegrations minute/sup -1/ of added americium. (auth)
Research Organization:
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Research Group. Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, Berks, England
NSA Number:
NSA-13-009552
OSTI ID:
4289302
Report Number(s):
AERE-C/R-1399
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English