RADIOCHEMICAL DETERMINATION OF SODIUM-24 AND SULFUR-35 IN SEAWATER

Technical Report · Mon Jul 10 04:00:00 EDT 1961

OSTI ID:4842047

Love, D; Sam, D

Rapid radiochemical procedures were developed for determining Na/sup 24/ and S/sup 35/ in seawater containing fission product radionuclides. Na/sup 24/ was separated from other radionuclides by scavenging with lanthanum hydroxide. Two sodium chloride precipitations with hydrogen chloride gas followed. The disintegration rate was determined by measuning the area of the 1.368-Mev gamma photopeak. The working time reqaired for a single analysis was 1/2 hr; the precision, plus or minus 1%; the chemical yield, about 70%; and the total effective decontamination factor from fission products, >>10/sup 5/. S/sup 35/ in seawater was separated from other radionuclides by precipitating barium sulfate. This was followed by reducing the sulfate to hydrogen sulfide with hydrogen iodide and by subsequently oxidizing sulfide to sulfate in an alkaline peroxide solution. The resulting sulfate ion was precipitated as barium sulfate for chemical yield determination and counting. The working time required for a single analysis was less than 1 hr; the precision, plus or minus 5%; the chemical yield, 70 to 80%; and the decontamination factor from fission products,>10/sup 7/. Although the samples tested were salt solutions contaminated with fission products, as in the case of nuclear explosions in the ocean and in salt domes, these methods are applicable to many other types of samples containing fission products and induced activities. (auth)

• Research Organization: Naval Radiological Defense Lab., San Francisco
• NSA Number: NSA-15-027545
• OSTI ID: 4842047
• Report Number(s): USNRDL-TR-522
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BARIUM SULFATES
CHEMISTRY
DECOMPOSITION
DECONTAMINATION
EXPLOSIONS
FISSION PRODUCTS
GAMMA RADIATION
GASES
HALF-LIFE
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDROGEN CHLORIDES
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
INDUCTION
LANTHANUM HYDROXIDES
MEASURED VALUES
OCEAN
PRECIPITATION
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOCHEMISTRY
SALTS
SEA
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM 24
SODIUM CHLORIDES
SULFUR 35
USES