THE MONITORING OF EFFLUENT FOR ALPHA EMITTERS. PART II. METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF URANIUM, POLONIUM AND OTHER ALPHA EMITTERS
Consideration has been given to the problem of separating and estimating uranium, polonium, and other alpha emitters (in order to provide analytical methods for their routine determination in conformily with the draft agreement on the Harwell effluent). Uranium may be ether extracted from solutions of ammonium nitrate as salting out agent at pHl with an efficiency of 98 to 99%. The deposition of polonium on silver foil is a specific method for this element and under prescribed conditions similar extraction efficiencies may be obtained. An adequate separation from all other alpha emitters'' is obtained and methods for the estimation of these are discussed. A comprehensive scheme involving a preliminary activity concentration step has been elaborated. Uranium, polonium, and the majority of the other alpha emitters'' are precipitated as their tannin complexes at pH8 using calcium hydroxide, the calcium-tannin complex acting as a carrier. That part of the activity remaining in solution is determined as in the total activity method, previously described. From the solution of the precipitate, polonium is first separated by electrodeposition, and then uranium by ether extraction in the presence of ammonium nitrate. The majority of the other alpha emitters'' still in the aqueous ammonium nitrate solution are collected on a second calcium-tannin precipitate, while the small part remaining in solution after this operation is obtained by direct evaporation. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Research Group. Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, Berks, England
- NSA Number:
- NSA-12-004919
- OSTI ID:
- 4321243
- Report Number(s):
- AERE-C/R-2223
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Decl. with amendment Mar. 1957. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-58
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ALPHA DETECTION
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM HYDROXIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPLEXES
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRODEPOSITION
ENRICHMENT
EVAPORATION
FOILS
MEASURED VALUES
MONITORING
NITRATES
POLONIUM
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOACTIVITY
SALTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILVER
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
TRACER TECHNIQUES
URANIUM
WATER