SEPARATION AND SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION OF TRACE QUANTITIES OF LITHIUM IN HIGH-PURITY BERYLLIUM AND BERYLLIUM OXIDE
Sumary - A spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of trace quantities of lithium in beryllium metal and its oxide. Beryllium interferes seriously in many of the methods available for the determination of trace quantities of lithium. Lithium is selectively separated from beryllium by extraction from 1-M potassium hydroxide solution into 0.1M- dipivaloylmethane in diethy1 ether. Fluoride added prior to the extraction successfully masks the beryllium to prevent its forming a chelate with the reagent; as little as 3 µg of lithium can be separated from as much as 1g of beryllium. The lithium is then back-extracted into 0.1-M hydrochloric acid and is measured spectrophotometrically as the intensely colored complex with Thoron, o-(2-hydroxy-3,6-disulfo-l-naphthylazo)-benzenearsonic acid. In acetone-water medium, the relationship between absorbance of the complex and lithium concentration follows Beer's law over the range of lithium concentration from 0.1 to 1.0 µg/ml. The method has been applied successfully to the determination of lithium in concentration as low as 3 ppm; the relative standard deviation for the determination of 200 ppm is 3%.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- NSA Number:
- NSA-20-008849
- OSTI ID:
- 4577325
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-P-1168; 0039-9140
- Journal Information:
- Talanta (England), Vol. Vol: 13; Other Information: ORNL-P-1168. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-66
- Publisher:
- Talanta, Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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