DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Plutonium oxalate precipitation for trace elemental determination in plutonium materials

Journal Article · · Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston (United Kingdom)

In this study, an analytical chemistry method has been developed that removes the plutonium (Pu) matrix from the dissolved Pu metal or oxide solution prior to the determination of trace impurities that are present in the metal or oxide. In this study, a Pu oxalate approach was employed to separate Pu from trace impurities. After Pu(III) was precipitated with oxalic acid and separated by centrifugation, trace elemental constituents in the supernatant were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy with minimized spectral interferences from the sample matrix.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1255230
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--14-29721; PII: 4218
Journal Information:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Journal Name: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 307; ISSN 0236-5731
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (22)

Chemical Separation Technologies and Related Methods of Nuclear Waste Management: Applications, Problems, and Research Needs book January 1999
Precipitation of plutonium oxalate from homogeneous solutions journal July 1986
Studies on the solubility of Pu(III) oxalate journal November 1994
Plutonium metal standards exchange program for actinide measurement quality assurance (2001–2007) journal July 2009
The urgent requirement for new radioanalytical certified reference materials for nuclear safeguards, forensics, and consequence management journal July 2012
Determination of neptunium in plutonium materials by ICP-MS journal December 2012
Characterization of selected nuclear fuel cycle materials by column extraction chromatography and ICP-AES journal January 1987
Spectrochemical Determination of Trace Impurities in Plutonium Nitrate Solutions journal October 1959
Trace Impurity Analysis of Thorium-Uranium and Plutonium-Thorium-Uranium Alloys by Anion Exchange-Partition Chromatography. journal April 1965
Plutonium Peroxide Precipitation journal January 1959
Rapid separation of uranium and plutonium by extraction chromatography for determination by thermal ionisation mass spectrometry journal January 1999
Chromatographic extraction of plutonium and inorganic impurity analysis using ICP-MS and ICP-AES journal January 2000
Facilitation of Trace Elemental Determination in Plutonium Oxide By Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) conference January 2003
Development program to recycle and purify plutonium-238 oxide fuel from scrap
  • Schulte, Louis D.; Silver, Gary L.; Avens, Larry R.
  • AIP Conference Proceedings Volume 387, Space technology and applications international forum (STAIF - 97) https://doi.org/10.1063/1.51960
conference January 1997
The Truex Process and the Management of Liquid Tru Uwaste journal October 1988
Spectrochemical Analysis by the Copper Spark Method* journal January 1947
The Determination of Impurities in Plutonium Metal by Anion Exchange and ICP/AES journal February 1989
Small-Scale Testing of Plutonium (IV) Oxalate Precipitation and Calcination to Plutonium Oxide to Support the MOX Feed Mission report June 2012
Hydroxylamine Nitrate Reduction of Plutonium(IV): Iron Catalysis. report January 1971
Wastes from plutonium conversion and scrap recovery operations report March 1988
Improved recovery and purification of plutonium at Los Alamos using macroporous anion exchange resin report May 1987
Carrier-distillation method for spectrographic analysis and its application to the analysis of uranium-base materials journal December 1946

Cited By (7)

What’s that yellow powder? A nuclear forensic case study journal August 2018
Atomic spectrometry update. Review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials journal January 2013
Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials journal January 2017
A low-temperature synthesis method for AnO 2 nanocrystals (An = Th, U, Np, and Pu) and associate solid solutions journal January 2018
Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials journal January 2018
Kinetic study on the grain growth of PuO 2 nanocrystals journal January 2019
Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials journal January 2020