Determination of radium-226 by high-resolution alpha spectrometry

Conference · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5770824

Sill, C W

The determination of radium-226 by alpha spectrometry has been investigated critically to determine experimental conditions under which high resolution and accurate and reliable results can be obtained. Refractory solids such as soils, ores, and tailings from uranium mills are dissolved completely by fusion with potassium fluoride in the presence of barium-133 tracer. The fluoride cake is then transposed with sulfuric acid to a pyrosulfate fusion with simultaneous volatilization of all silica and fluoride. Radium is precipitated with barium already present in the sample by addition of lead perchlorate to a dilute hydrochloric acid solution of the pyrosulfate cake. The resulting insoluble sulfates are dissolved in an alkaline solution of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, and the radium and barium sulfates are reprecipitated with acetic acid. The precipitate is mounted on a membrane filter and analyzed by alpha spectrometry. Water samples are partially evaporated and treated similarly. Resolution of the subsequent alpha spectra is much better than has been achieved previously from barium sulfate, and is almost as good as is obtainable with actinides electrodeposited on polished steel plates. The resolution is about 60 keV full-width-half-maximum with 100 ..mu..g of barium on a 1-inch filter with a 450 mm/sup 2/ detector at 20% counting efficiency. Recovery is about 97% and accuracy is generally as good as the counting statistics obtained will permit. Grossly inaccurate results can be obtained under certain conditions when barium-133 tracer is used to determine the chemical yield of radium-226. Severe contamination of the surface-barrier detector by polonium-210 and by recoil products of the radium isotopes being counted is demonstrated, amd methods for virtual elimination of both problems are discussed.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 5770824
• Report Number(s): EGG-M-00883; CONF-830695-7; ON: DE83014959
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
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400103* -- Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures-- (-1987)
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ALPHA SPECTROSCOPY
BARIUM 133
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
BARIUM ISOTOPES
BARIUM SULFATES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ERRORS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
MILL TAILINGS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
ORES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRECIPITATION
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM 226
RADIUM COMPOUNDS
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADIUM SULFATES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
SPECTROSCOPY
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TAILINGS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES