ELECTROCHROMATOGRAPHIC AND NEUTRON-ACTIVATION PROCEDURES FOR THE SEPARATION AND ESTIMATION OF THE ALKALI METAL CATIONS

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1961 · Proc. Japan Conf. Radioisotopes

OSTI ID:4683836

Strain, H H

Differential electrical migration in electrolytic solutions stabilized in soft paper provides a convenient method for the separation of the alkali metal cations from virtually all the other cations. Under suitable conditions the differential migration also serves to separate the alkali metal ions from one another. This technique is effective with the smallest quantities of the ions that can be detected by the most sensitive tests. The background electrolyte and the solvent determine the effectiveness of the separations. With certain complex- forming electrolytes such as citrate in water, the alkali metal cations are separated from all the complexed polyvalent cations. With other complexforming reagents such as ammonia-triacetic acid (nitrilotriacetic acid) plus cyanide, the alkali metal cations are separated from the polyvalent cations and also from the univalent cations of silver and thallium. In aqueous solutions, lithium, sodium, and potassium ions are readily separated from one another as well as from various complexed species. Potassium, rubidium, and cesium ions are not separated from one another. In nitromethane solution, by contraet, all the alkali metal ions are separated from one another. With radioactive species, the separated ions may be located and estimated in the moist paper. The lithium is not sufficiently radioactive to permit its location or estimation by its activity. It may be located by flame photometry in extracts of the migration system. Sodium and potassium salts are brought to sufficient activity by irradiation with thermal neutrons at a flux of 1 x 10/sup 12/ n/cm/sup 2//sec for about two days before migration. Rubidium and cesium require activation at much higher fluxes (1 x 10/ sup 11/) for longer periods (about 7 days). Active cesium as it occurs in fission products is readily separated from the active species of various other elements as well as from the other alkali metal cations. It may also be estimated after decay of activated sodium, potassium, and rubidium ions produced by activation of mixtures of these elements. (JAIF)

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., Ill.
• NSA Number: NSA-17-029955
• OSTI ID: 4683836
• Journal Information: Proc. Japan Conf. Radioisotopes, Vol. Vol: 4th; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-63
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ACETIC ACID
ACTIVATION
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
ALKALI METALS
AMMONIA
BACKGROUND
CATIONS
CESIUM
CHROMATOGRAPHY
CITRIC ACID
CYANIDES
DECAY
ELECTROLYTES
FISSION PRODUCTS
LITHIUM
METHANE
MOTION
NEUTRON FLUX
NEUTRONS
PAPER
PHOTOMETRY
POTASSIUM
RADIOACTIVITY
RUBIDIUM
SALTS
SENSITIVITY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILVER
SODIUM
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENTS
TESTING
THALLIUM
WATER