Journal article
Reliable determination of 237Np in environmental solid samples using 242Pu as a potential tracer
Radioecology and Tracer Studies, Radiation Research Division, Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark1
Radiation Research Division, Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark2
Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark3
University of the Balearic Islands4
This paper reports an analytical method for rapid determination of neptunium (237Np) in environmental solid samples exploiting automated sequential injection (SI)-based anion exchange separation. Pivotal issues on analytical method performance were investigated including sorption behavior of 237Np onto various AG 1-type anion exchangers; suitability of 242Pu as a tracer for 237Np determination in environmental solid samples; and long-term chemical stability of tetravalent Np.
Experimental results revealed that the degree of resin cross-linking has a significant influence on the separation efficiency in terms of chemical yields of 237Np and removal of interfering nuclides. Although ca. 30% of sorbed Np onto AG 1-×4 was stripped out during HCl rinsing step for the removal of Th, chemical yield ratios of 237Np to 242Pu were proven steady with an average value of 0.67±0.04 (n=15) under selected experimental conditions.
Disulfite-8M HNO3 was selected as a redox pair for valence adjustment to Np(IV) and the tetravalent Np in the sample solution was demonstrated to be stabilized for up to 5 days under 3°C. The analytical results for reference materials showed a good agreement with the expected values, thereby demonstrating the usefulness of 242Pu as a non-isotopic tracer for 237Np chemical yield monitoring.
The on-column separation procedure fosters rapid analysis as required in emergency situations since each individual sample can be handled within 2.5h, and leads to a significant decrease in labor intensity compared to conventional batch-wise protocols.
Language: | English |
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Year: | 2011 |
Pages: | 494-500 |
ISSN: | 18733573 and 00399140 |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.talanta.2011.01.040 |
ORCIDs: | Qiao, Jixin and Hou, Xiaolin |