AN EXTRACTION, CONTROLLED-POTENTIAL COULOMETRIC METHOD SPECIFIC FOR URANIUM(VI)

Technical Report · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1958

OSTI ID:4324958

Booman, G L; Holbrook, W B

A method, specific for uranium, is based on methyl isobutyl ketone separation of tetrapropylammonium uranyl trinitrate from acid-deficient aluminum nitrate solution followed by direct coulometric reduction of uranium(VI) at a mercury cathode. Perchloric acid volatilizes rutherium and technetium which are th ouly known interfering species extracted with uranium. The uranium is determined by controlled potential reduction of the citrate complex after a pre- reduction step to eliminate easily reducible material. The complete procedure requires approximately 2.6 hours. Results on samples from solutions of freshly dissolved aluminum-uranium fuel elements having about 20% burnup show excellent precision and no bias as compared to the isotope-dilution thermal mass spectrometric method. Experimental data indicate a trimolecular uranyl-citrate- aluminum complex with each citrate molecule forming two six-membered rings with the uranyl ion. (auth)

• Research Organization: Phillips Petroleum Co. Atomic Energy Div., Idaho Falls, Idaho
• DOE Contract Number: AT(10-1)-205
• NSA Number: NSA-12-010387
• OSTI ID: 4324958
• Report Number(s): IDO-14435
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACIDS
ALUMINUM NITRATES
BUTYL RADICALS
CATHODES
CHEMISTRY
CITRATES
CITRIC ACID
COULOMETRY
KETONES
MERCURY
METHYL RADICALS
PERCHLORIC ACID
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
REDUCTION
RUTHENIUM
SALTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
TECHNETIUM
URANIUM
URANYL NITRATES
VOLATILITY