Determination of lead in rocks by radiometric isotope dilution and substoichiometric extraction

A rapid procedure is described for the determination of lead in rocks by an isotope-dilution substoichiometric method. After the sample has been digested with acid in the presence of ²¹⁰Pb tracer, the lead is separated by dithizone extractions. After the lead has been back-extracted into aqueous solution, it is reacted with a substoichiometric amount of EDTA. Excess of unreacted lead is removed by extraction with dithizone in carbon tetrachloride, and the specific activity of the aqueous complex is determined by counting ²¹⁰Pb. The standard deviation of the method is less than 10 % for replicate determinations of lead in several U.S. Geological Survey standard rocks. The agreement with literature values indicates that the method is accurate.     

Advantages of a two-detector system in automated substoichiometric radioisotope dilution analysis

Automation widens the scope of substoichiometric radioisotope dilution analysis. This is because the very strict requirement of the manual method-chemical separation of exactly equal quantities of the test substance-need no longer be fulfilled: reproducibility of the determination is reached by means of automated operation and activity measurement. The theory given in this paper shows how the choice of suitable chemical reactions is widened and why the reliability and the advantages of isotope dilution analysis are secured by the use of a two-detector system.     

Determination of microamounts strontium by substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis

The isotope dilution with substoichiometric separation for the determination of strontium has been investigated. Strontium can be extracted with a substoichiometric amount of bis-1,2-dicarbollylcobaltate in nitrobenzene in the presence of 15-crown-5. It has been found, that Li⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺ do not interfere in the strontium determination but the high extraction of K⁺, Na⁺ and NH₄ ⁺ ions results in marked influence.     

A substoichiometric radioisotope dilution study using210Pb

A radioisotope dilution procedure has been developed which permits the determination of lead over a concentration range of 0.1 to 10 ppm. Samples in an ammoniacal cyanide/sulfite medium are labelled with²¹⁰Pb, followed by addition of substoichiometric amount of dithizone. The Pb/HDz/₂ formed is extracted into CH₂Cl₂, and aliquot portions are taken for liquid scintillation counting. Count rate is plotted vs. the reciprocal of the lead concentration, yielding a straight line. An average error of ±3.5% is estimated, based on a linear least squares fit.     

Determination of silver in rocks by a stoichiometric radioreagent radioisotope dilution technique

A rapid procedure for the routine determination of nanogram amounts of silver in rocks is described. After dissolution of the sample with a hydrofluoric-nitric-perchloric acid mixture in the presence of ¹¹⁰Ag tracer, the silver is separated by extraction as the dithizonate into xylene and back-extracted into dilute hydrochloric acid. After evaporation and removal of the hydrochloric acid, the silver is taken up in an acetic acid-sodium tartrate buffer solution and reacted with a constant amount of radioactively labelled iodide. The silver iodide formed is isolated by extraction into amyl alcohol and silver is determined by the ratio of the counting rate of the iodide to that of the silver in the silver iodide complex. Results of the analyses of several U.S. Geological Survey standard rocks are given.     

Automated determination of traces of mercury in biological materials by substoichiometric radioisotope dilution

Solid samples (1-2 g) are burned in oxygen in a flask containing radiomercury in dilute hydrochloric acid, in which the non-active mercury to be determined is immediately absorbed. All mercury is subsequently extracted by dithizone in carbon tetrachloride and then re-extracted into dilute hydrochloric acid. This aqueous phase is further analysed automatically (AutoAnalyzer, 20 samples hr ) as previously described. Liquids (up to 100 ml) are analysed in the same way but instead of being burned in oxygen are first oxidized with potassium permanganate in acid medium. Quantities between 2 and 0.00004 ppm Hg were determined in various materials. Results for international biological standards agreed well with values obtained by activation analysis: kale 0.159 ppm Hg (relative standard deviation 2%) and IAEA cereals 0.0435 ppm Hg (+/- 5%). The new method is far more simple and rapid than activation analysis and just as sensitive; it is therefore more suitable for routine work. About 100 samples can be analysed per day.     

Determination of iron in biological material by substoichiometric isotopic-dilution analysis

Iron is determined in biological material by wet oxidation, in the presence of (59)Fe tracer, extraction of iron(III) chloride into isopropyl methyl ketone, stripping with nitric acid, and substoichiometric separation of the Fe-EDTA complex on a cation-exchanger. The precision is good and the method has been applied to analysis of standard kale and blood.     

Determination of microamounts of barium by isotope dilution analysis with substoichiometric separation

In an open neutron reflection setup there are some basic design parameters that have an important influence on the value of the sensitivity. The effects of variations of such parameters in the sensitivity (S) were calculated applying the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code system MCNP-4A.     

Determination of trace elements and radioactive materials by substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis

Substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis has been applied for the determination of trace elements in liquid samples, of carrier content in radioisotope solution and of concentration of organic reagent. Cu in mineral acids and in ZnSe single crystal was determined by the substoichiometric extraction with dithizone. The values of 1.8 and 0.018 ppm in nitric acid and distilled one and of 1.4 and 0.44 ppm in ZnSe were obtained. Cu and P carrier contents in⁶⁴Cu and³²P solutions were determined by the substoichiometric extractions with dithizone in CCl₄ and with molybdic acid into MIBK in the series of the solutions adding various amounts of Cu or P carrier. An analogous method has been applied for the determination of dithizone and diethyldithiocarbamate solutions. The method was also applied for the determination of⁶⁰Co radioactivity in environmental samples. The analytical result of water samples is described.     

Determination of chlorine in silicate rocks by neutron activation analysis

A simple radiochemical neutron activation analysis scheme has been developed for the determination of chlorine in silicate rocks. The method involves a 15-min thermal neutron irradiation of rock powder followed by a quick separation of ³⁸Cl as AgCl, and Ge(Li) spectrometry. Chemical yield, normally ranging between 95% and 100%, is monitored gravimetrically through the recovery of AgCl. The procedure has been tested on several geochemical standards to assess its accuracy and precision. The values obtained for standard rocks agree with the literature values. At the 100-ppm level, the analytical precision for chlorine is within ±5% (2σ).     

Determination of caesium microamounts by isotope dilution with substoichiometric separation

Selectivity of isotope dilution analysis with substoichiometric separation for caesium determination has been investigated. Caesium can be extracted with a substoichiometric amounts of bis 1,2-dicarbollylcobaltate in nitrobenzene in the presence of dibenzo-18-crown-6. The method is selective. Other metal ions (K⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Fe³⁺, Al³⁺) do not interfere.     

Determination of thallium by isotopic dilution method using substoichiometric displacement

A new analytical procedure for the determination of thallium in a wide concentration range has been developed. The method of direct isotopic dilution (IDA) using carrier-free²⁰²Tl and the formerly developed procedure of substoichiometric displacement have been used for the determination of thallium content in various types of analyzed samples e.g. minerals, sediments, ion-exchangers, hydrothermal waters, etc. in the concentration range from several percent to 10^?4%, or subsequently down to 0.01 μg/ml in waters. The results obtained are compared with those of emission spectrometry and activation analysis using (γ, n) reaction. A good agreement was found.     

Determination of zinc in environmental water by displacement substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis /DSIDA/

Trace amounts of Zn /ng.ml^–1/ were determined using a displacement reaction of /Zn²⁺/ org from the dithizone organic phase into the aqueous phase, with a substoichiometric amount of /Hg²⁺/ aq. The results were compared with direct substoichiometric IDA. Absorption spectrophotometry was used as a reference analysis.     

Determination of Rb and Sr concentrations in rocks by radioisotope X-ray fluorescence analysis

A method is described for Rb and Sr concentration determinations in rocks by radioisotope X-ray fluorescence analysis. The yield/concentration ratios were established by increasing the concentrations of the examined elements in the sample and recording each spectrum. The analytical error in the 100-1,000 ppm concentration range was 2–4%, and for 50 ppm about 10%, and the detection limit was 5–10 ppm.     

Determination of phosphorus in silicate rocks by flow injection method of analysis

Summary A flow injection spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of phosphorus in silicate rocks. A rock solution is prepared by fusion with a mixture of lithium carbonate and boric acid and subsequent dissolution with l M hydrochloric acid. An aliquot of the sample solution is injected directly into the flow system, which consists of formation of heteropolyacids of molybdenum and antimony, reduction with ascorbic acid, and subsequent measurement of the absorbance of blue species. It permits semi-automated analysis of a variety of silicate rocks for phosphorus. Results obtained for standard rocks were in good agreement with the recommended values. The throughput comes out 20 samples per h.

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Bestimmung des Phosphors in Silikatgestein durch Flie-Injektions-Analyse

Zusammenfassung Ein Verfahren zur spektrophotometrischen Phosphorbestimmung in Silikatgestein mittels Fließinjektion wurde entwickelt. Das Gestein wird mit einer Mischung aus Lithiumcarbonat und Borsäure aufgeschlossen und in 1 M Salzsäure gelöst. Ein aliquoter Teil der Lösung wird unmittelbar in das fließende System injiziert, worin Heteropolysäuren aus Molybdän und Antimon gebildet, mit Askorbinsäure reduziert und die Absorbanz der blauen Farbe gemessen wird. Dies ermöglicht die halbautomatische Analyse verschiedener Silikatgesteine zur Phosphorbestimmung. Die Resultate von Standardproben stimmen mit den vorgeschriebenen Werten gut überein. In der Stunde können 20 Proben durchgesetzt werden.

     

Flow-injection analysis of silicate rocks for total iron and aluminium

A flow-injection method is described for the spectrophotometric determination of total iron and aluminium in silicate rocks. Rock samples are opened up by fusion with a mixture of lithium carbonate and boric acid, the melt is taken up in 1M hydrochloric acid and the resulting solution is used for the determination of both iron and aluminium. The flow system for the determination of iron needs no particular reagents, involving simply measurement of the absorbance of the chloro-complex of iron(III) at 335 nm. The system for aluminium consists of the reduction of iron(III) to iron(II), colour development with Xylenol Orange (XO), destruction of XO-chelates other than that of aluminium by addition of EDTA and subsequent measurement of the absorbance of the aluminium-XO complex at 506 nm. The systems permit semi-automatic, rapid analysis of silicate rocks for iron and aluminium. Results obtained for standard rocks were in good agreement with the recommended values. The precision ranged from 0.1 to 0.9% for iron and from 0.3 to 0.7% for aluminium.     

The determination of zinc by substoichiometric isotope dilution

Recently, R??I?KA et al. proposed a determination of zinc in highly pure germanium dioxide by a substoichiometric extraction technique. In the present work, the effects on the substoichiometric extraction of equilibrium time, pH and interfering ions were investigated by radioactive tracer techniques and spectrophotometric measurements. The sensitivity of the procedure is limited by the blanks and the addition of oxalate ions can give rise to inaccurate results. The specific activity of ⁶⁵Zn was also determined by substoichiometric extraction.     

Determination of lead in biological and environmental samples by203Pb isotope dilution substoichiometric method

A procedure for the determination of lead in various biological and environmental samples by²⁰³Pb radioisotope dilution substoichiometric method is presented. The accuracy of the method by comparison with the literature values of reference materials appears to be good. The standard deviation of the method is less than 10%, and detection limit is about 0.1 g of lead.     

Coprecipitation as a means of separation in substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis

Chromium has been determined by isotope dilution in artificial standards and in standard alloys using the substoichiometric principle. As a substoichiometric reaction the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) was used, followed by separation of these species by coprecipitation of the trivalent chromium on a Ti(OH)₄ precipitate. For amounts smaller than 1 μg the standard method had to be modified owing to spontaneous reduction of hexavalent chromium in the solution. Interferences from other metals, if they occur, can be easily overcome. The method is simple and inexpensive.     

Coprecipitation as a means of separation in substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis

Coprecipitation is proposed as a means of obtaining the necessary separation in substoichiometric isotope dilution analysis. It is shown with examples that by applying coprecipitation for separation and by using complexometric and oxidimetric or reductometric reactions as the substoichiometric reaction, a wide field of complexometric determinations of metal ions (e.g., with EDTA) and many types of redox determinations open up for further investigations. The method is simple, not time-consuming and offers many possibilities owing to the freedom to select a suitable precipitate.