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Investigations on nitrate procedures applicable to Hanford monitoring well samples

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7197285· OSTI ID:7197285

A literature review and experimental studies were used to develop an alternate method for determining the nitrate concentrations in Hanford well waters. The present phenoldisulfonic acid method appears to be sensitive to a negative interference by chloride ions in the well waters. Two methods were chosen for experimental study, the nitrate specific ion electrode and the cadmium reduction procedure. Utilizing a buffer reagent, well water nitrate concentrations between 1 to 1000 ppm NO/sub 3/--N can be precisely and accurately determined by the nitrate specific ion electrode method. Precision of +- 5-10 percent throughout the working range and spiked recoveries of 90 to 100 percent were observed. The cadmium reduction-colorimetric technique utilizing a chloride-EDTA buffer solution can be used to analyze low level nitrate well samples. The working curve is 0.02 to 0.80 ppm NO/sub 3/--N. With dilution before or after column elution, nitrate concentrations up to 500 ppm NO/sub 3/--N were successfully determined. Precision of 5 to 13 percent and spike recoveries of 93 to 116 percent were found on Hanford well samples. (auth)

Research Organization:
Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, Wash. (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
E(45-1)-1830
OSTI ID:
7197285
Report Number(s):
BNWL-B-469
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English