skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Determination of environmental levels of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu, /sup 241/Am, /sup 137/Cs, and /sup 90/Sr in large volume sea water samples

Abstract

A method is reported for the determination of environmental levels of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu and /sup 241/Am in approximately 60-liter size samples of seawater. /sup 137/Cs and /sup 90/Sr were also separated and determined from the same samples. The samples were collected at the sea surface and at various depths in the oceans through the facilities of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Plutonium and americium were separated from the seawater by iron hydroxide scavenging then treated with a mixture of nitric, hydrochloric, and perchloric acids. A series of anion exchange separations were used to remove interferences and purify plutonium and americium; then each was electroplated on platinum disks and measured by solid state alpha particle spectrometry. The overall chemical yields averaged 62 +- 9 and 69 +- 14 percent for /sup 236/Pu, and /sup 243/Am tracers, respectively. Following the iron hydroxide scavenge of the transuranics, cesium was removed from the acidified seawater matrix by adsorption onto ammonium phosphomolybdate. Cesium carrier and /sup 137/Cs isolation was effected by ion exchange and precipitations were made using chloroplatinic acid. The samples were weighed to determine overall chemical yield then beta counted. Cesium recoveries averaged 75 +- 5 percent. After cesium was removedmore » from the seawater matrix, the samples were neutralized with sodium hydroxide and ammonium carbonate was added to precipitate /sup 85/Sr tracer and the mixed alkaline earth carbonates. Strontium was separated as the nitrate and scavenged by chromate and hydroxide precipitations. Yttrium-90 was allowed to build up for two weeks, then milked and precipitated as the oxalate, weighed, and beta counted. The overall chemical yields of /sup 85/Sr tracer averaged 84 +- 16 percent. The recovery of the yttrium oxalate precipitates averaged 96 +- 3 percent.« less

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Energy Research and Development Administration, New York (USA). Health and Safety Lab.
OSTI Identifier:
7345589
Report Number(s):
HASL-307
TRN: 76-018791
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; AMERICIUM; ALPHA SPECTROSCOPY; CESIUM; RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS; PLUTONIUM; SEAWATER; STRONTIUM; ADSORPTION; AMERICIUM 241; CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; ION EXCHANGE; IRON HYDROXIDES; PLUTONIUM 239; PLUTONIUM 240; PRECIPITATION; ACTINIDE ISOTOPES; ACTINIDE NUCLEI; ACTINIDES; ALKALI METALS; ALKALINE EARTH METALS; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; AMERICIUM ISOTOPES; ELEMENTS; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; EVEN-ODD NUCLEI; HEAVY NUCLEI; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; HYDROXIDES; IRON COMPOUNDS; ISOTOPES; METALS; NUCLEI; ODD-EVEN NUCLEI; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES; RADIOISOTOPES; SEPARATION PROCESSES; SORPTION; SPECTROSCOPY; TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS; TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS; TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS; WATER; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 400103* - Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures- (-1987)

Citation Formats

Sutton, D. C., Calderon, G., and Rosa, W. Determination of environmental levels of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu, /sup 241/Am, /sup 137/Cs, and /sup 90/Sr in large volume sea water samples. United States: N. p., 1976. Web. doi:10.2172/7345589.
Sutton, D. C., Calderon, G., & Rosa, W. Determination of environmental levels of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu, /sup 241/Am, /sup 137/Cs, and /sup 90/Sr in large volume sea water samples. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/7345589
Sutton, D. C., Calderon, G., and Rosa, W. 1976. "Determination of environmental levels of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu, /sup 241/Am, /sup 137/Cs, and /sup 90/Sr in large volume sea water samples". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/7345589. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/7345589.
@article{osti_7345589,
title = {Determination of environmental levels of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu, /sup 241/Am, /sup 137/Cs, and /sup 90/Sr in large volume sea water samples},
author = {Sutton, D. C. and Calderon, G. and Rosa, W.},
abstractNote = {A method is reported for the determination of environmental levels of /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu and /sup 241/Am in approximately 60-liter size samples of seawater. /sup 137/Cs and /sup 90/Sr were also separated and determined from the same samples. The samples were collected at the sea surface and at various depths in the oceans through the facilities of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Plutonium and americium were separated from the seawater by iron hydroxide scavenging then treated with a mixture of nitric, hydrochloric, and perchloric acids. A series of anion exchange separations were used to remove interferences and purify plutonium and americium; then each was electroplated on platinum disks and measured by solid state alpha particle spectrometry. The overall chemical yields averaged 62 +- 9 and 69 +- 14 percent for /sup 236/Pu, and /sup 243/Am tracers, respectively. Following the iron hydroxide scavenge of the transuranics, cesium was removed from the acidified seawater matrix by adsorption onto ammonium phosphomolybdate. Cesium carrier and /sup 137/Cs isolation was effected by ion exchange and precipitations were made using chloroplatinic acid. The samples were weighed to determine overall chemical yield then beta counted. Cesium recoveries averaged 75 +- 5 percent. After cesium was removed from the seawater matrix, the samples were neutralized with sodium hydroxide and ammonium carbonate was added to precipitate /sup 85/Sr tracer and the mixed alkaline earth carbonates. Strontium was separated as the nitrate and scavenged by chromate and hydroxide precipitations. Yttrium-90 was allowed to build up for two weeks, then milked and precipitated as the oxalate, weighed, and beta counted. The overall chemical yields of /sup 85/Sr tracer averaged 84 +- 16 percent. The recovery of the yttrium oxalate precipitates averaged 96 +- 3 percent.},
doi = {10.2172/7345589},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/7345589}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1976},
month = {Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1976}
}