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Determination of phosphorus-32 in aqueous environmental samples

Conference ·
OSTI ID:4426200
>From American Chemical Society 25th annual southeastern regional meetlng; Charleston, South Carolina, USA (7 Nov 1973). An improved method for lsolating and beta counting /sup 32/P in aqueous environmental samples at the Savannah River Laboratory is described. Interference from /sup 131/I is ellminated by a chloroform extracfion and from /sup 95/Zr-/sup 95/Nb by anion exchange with Dowex 1-X8 resin. Phosphorus-32 is separated from interferenceg such as /sup 141/Ce, /sup 144/Ce, /sup 51/Cr, /sup 137/Cs, and /sup 140/Ba-/sup 140/La by extraction as phosphomolybdic acid with hexanol. This solvent is mixed with . liquid scintillator and counted. Three improvements made in the method are: (a) using HCl gas to adjust the sample to 12M HCl to shorten the procedure, (b) replaclng pentanol with hexanol to increase the extractlon of phosphomolybdic acid, and (c) counting /sup 32/P by liquid scintillation instead of on planchets. Decontamination of /sup 32/P from interferences is about 10/sup 4/, and recovery is at least 55%. Analyses of control spikes during the past 30 months show the method to have a sensitivity of 14 pCi/l and a precision of 11% when using a 50 ml sample. (auth)
Research Organization:
Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, S.C. (USA). Savannah River Lab.
NSA Number:
NSA-29-002451
OSTI ID:
4426200
Report Number(s):
DP-MS--73-35; CONF-731113--1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English