ANALYTICAL METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF RUTHENIUM-103 AND RUTHENIUM-106 IN SAND, VEGETATION, SEAWEED, FISH FLESH AND NATURAL WATERS

Technical Report · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1962

OSTI ID:4782429

A method is presented which is suitable for the determination of Ru/sup 103/ and Ru/sup 106/ in area survey samples of sand, vegetation, seaweed, and fish flesh, and also in natural waters. Detection limits are governed by natural background radiation which is dependent upon local conditions, but the method has bcen applied to samples containing 10 to 100 mu mu c of Ru/sup 103/ and to samples containing 5 to 1000 mu mu c of Ru/sup 106/. Using the calibration procedure specified, it is considered that the bias is negligible. Interchange between added carrier and radio-ruthenium in the sample is effected either by fusion with potassium hydroxide in the case of solid samples or by boiling aqueous samples in alkaline solution, in the presence of an oxidant. Ruthenium is extracted as tetroxide into carbon tetrachloride and precipitated as the dioxide. After mounting on stainless-steel trays, the beta and gamma activities are measured. The counters are calibrated against sources of known Ru/sup 103/ and Ru/sup 106/ content. The observed activities are corrected for the chemical yield of the separation procedure, determined by absorptiometric measurement of a solution prepared from the source after counting. (auth)

• Research Organization: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Production Group, Windscale, Sellafield, England
• NSA Number: NSA-16-016309
• OSTI ID: 4782429
• Report Number(s): PG-Report-308
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ABSORPTION
BACKGROUND
BETA DETECTION
BOILING
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE
CARRIERS
CHEMISTRY
FISH
FUSED SALTS
GAMMA DETECTION
POTASSIUM HYDROXIDES
PRECIPITATION
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
RUTHENIUM 103
RUTHENIUM 106
RUTHENIUM OXIDES
SAND
SEA
SOLIDS
SOLUTIONS
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
STANDARDS
VEGETABLES
WATER