Rapid determination of molar ratios in binary systems by 14 mev neutron activation analysis

The 14 MeV neutron activation analysis method was applied for the rapid and non-destructive determination of the molar ratios of iron(III) oxide and zinc oxide in zinc ferrites. Iron was detected as⁵⁶Mn produced from⁵⁶Fe by the (n, p) reaction, and zinc as the sum of the coincidence counts of the annihilation radiations of the positrons emitted from⁶³Zn and⁶⁴Cu produced from⁶⁴Zn by the (n, 2n) and (n, p) reactions respectively. The ratios of the counts of⁵⁶Mn and the sum of the coincidence counts were not linearly related to the molar ratios of iron(III) oxide and zinc oxide in zinc ferrites. However, by corrections of the mutual contributions to the counts, linear relations were obtained between the ratios of the counts and the molar ratios when the corrected sum of the coincidence counts was used as an internal standard. The experimental and theoretical slopes of the analytical lines agreed within a difference of approximately 10%. The deviations between the results of the activation analysis and those of the chemical analysis were less than 5% of the chemical results.     

Determination of silicon in cast iron by 14 MeV neutron activation

Silicon in cast iron was analyzed by 14 MeV neutron activation—high-resolution γ-ray spectrometry. Silicon was detected as²⁸Al, the product of the²⁸Si(n, p)²⁸Al reaction. Interference of⁵⁶Mn was separated using a Ge(Li) detector and a biased amplifying system. The 1. 81 MeV gamma-radiation of⁵⁶Mn, which is the product of the⁵⁶Fe(n, p)⁵⁶Mn reaction of the matrix of cast iron, was used as an internal standard and for correction of the self-absorption of the 1. 78 MeV gamma-radiation of²⁸Al by the sample. The interferences of aluminum, phosphorus and manganese could be neglected according to the results calculated from their nuclear properties and contents in the cast iron of this experiment. The results of this method agreed well with the results of the usual chemical method, with errors less than 5% of the results, and the precision of the method was satisfactory with a C. V. of less than almost 6% for rapid analysis of silicon in cast iron. The analytical line through the origin with a slope of the mean value of the repetition experiments could be used as the analytical line with almost the same precision and accuracy of the results as for the analytical line calculated by the least squares method.     

Determination of137Cs and90Sr in milk by the static method with an ion exchanger

This paper presents the method of⁹⁰Sr and¹³⁷Cs determination from 10 litres of milk. The preconcentration is made by the static method with a strong acid cation exchanger (OSTION KS).¹³⁷Cs from the eluent (8M HCl) is selectively eliminated with ammonium molybdophosphate and then the^137mBa gamma activity measured, using NaI(T1) detector.⁹⁰Sr as⁹⁰Y is determined after achievement of the radioactive equilibrium and measured by flow proportional counter. The method appears to be accurate, reproducible and permits to determine³² mBq¹³⁷Cs and 13 mBq⁹⁰Sr in the samples.     

Detection of transgenerational barium dual-isotope marks in salmon otoliths by means of LA-ICP-MS

The present study evaluates the use of an individual-specific transgenerational barium dual-isotope procedure and its application to salmon specimens from the Sella River (Asturias, Spain). For such a purpose, the use of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) in combination with multiple linear regression for the determination of the isotopic mark in the otoliths of the specimens is presented. In this sense, a solution in which two barium-enriched isotopes (¹³⁷Ba and ¹³⁵Ba) were mixed at a molar ratio of ca. 1:3 (N _Ba137/N _Ba135) was administered to eight returning females caught during the spawning period. After injection, these females, as well as their offspring, were reared in a governmental hatchery located in the council of Cangas de Onís (Asturias, Spain). For comparison purposes, as well as for a time-monitoring control, egg and larva data obtained by solution analysis ICP-MS are also given. Otoliths (9-month-old juveniles) of marked offspring were analysed by LA-ICP-MS demonstrating a 100 % marking efficacy of this methodology. The capabilities of the molar fraction approach for 2D imaging of fish otoliths are also addressed.     

Detecting137Cs breakthrough in an ion exchange process

High-level radioactive wastes can be transformed to low-level wastes by removing¹³⁷Cs through selective ion exchange processes. Since the short-lived daughter,¹³⁷ⁱⁿBa produces the 662-keV gamma-ray normally attributed to¹³⁷Cs, equilibrium may be broken, and observation of the 662-keV gamma-ray cannot be used to detect cesium breakthrough. Two detectors viewing the output line, but separated sufficiently to measure the^137mBa decay between them, are used to detect¹³⁷Cs breakthrough based on deviation from the normal^137mBa decay. Detection evaluated for the process separation time, counting time, fractional breakthrough detectable, and accuracy and confidence of the measurements are discussed.     

Schnelle Trennung von Barium aus einem Gemisch von Spaltprodukten

Zusammenfassung Eine Methode zur schnellen und selektiven Trennung von Barium aus einem Gemisch von Spaltprodukten wurde ausgearbeitet, die auf der Fällung des Bariumsulfats in Anwesenheit von äDTA beruht. Die Selektivität wurde durch Messung der -Spektren und der Zerfallskurven ÜberprÜft. Die Schnelligkeit der Methode wird durch die Abtrennung des Kernisomers ^137m Ba aus einem im Gleichgewicht befindlichen Gemisch von ^137m Ba und ¹³⁷Cs gezeigt.Das angefÜhrte Verfahren eignet sich fÜr die Herstellung von radiochemisch reinem Barium, fÜr die quantitative Auswertung der Kontamination der Spaltprodukte und fÜr die Berechnung des Alters radioaktiver atmosphärischer Niederschläge.

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Summary A method has been developed for the rapid and selective isolation of barium from a mixture of fission products, based on precipitating barium sulphate in EDTA medium. The selectivity was checked by measuring -spectra and by decay curve analysis. The rapidity of the method is illustrated by the isolation of the ^137mBa isomer from an equilibrium mixture of ¹³⁷Cs+^137m Ba.The method described is convenient for preparing radiochemically pure barium, for a quantitative evaluation of a decontamination with fission products and for determining the age of radioactive fall-out.

     

La<Subscript>2</Subscript>M<Stack><Subscript>3</Subscript><Superscript>II</Superscript></Stack>Mn<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> (M = Mg,Ca, Sr,or Ba) manganites: Synthesis and X-ray diffraction study

La₂M ₃ ^II Mn₄O₁₂ (M = Mg, Ca, Sr, or Ba) manganites have been synthesized by ceramic technology from lanthanum oxide, manganese(III) oxide, and magnesium, calcium, strontium, or barium carbonate. X-ray powder diffraction shows that these compounds crystallize in cubic perovskite space group Pm3m.     

Radioactive nuclides as tracers of environmental processes

Summary Relatively short-lived radioactive nuclides of cosmogenic origin, such as⁷Be (T_1/2=53.3 d),³²P (14.3 d),³³P (25.3 d),³⁵S (87.4 d) as well as²²Na (2.6 y) have come to be recognized as potential tools to trace environmental processes, such as precipitation, washout (precipitation scavenging), resuspension, atmospheric particle deposition and deposition patterns of airborne contaminants, aerosol deposition and aerosol trapping by above ground vegetation (air-to-vegetation transfer). Of the above radionuclides,⁷Be as well as²¹⁰Pb of terrestrial origin and¹³⁷Cs, a fission product radionuclide, are commonly used for determining the atmospheric particle deposition parameters. It was found that the deposition velocity of⁷Be-associated aerosol particles varied from 0.3 to 0.8 cm^. s^-1(average 0.5 cm^. s^-1), the washout ratio for⁷Be varied from 103 to 375 (average 144), the resuspension factor for the⁷Be-associated particles varied from 1.6^. 10^-4to 4.2^. 10^-4m^-1(average 2.3^. 10^-4m^-1) and the air-to-vegetation transfer rate for⁷Be varied from 5258 to 16180 m^3.kg^-1(average 9856 m^3.kg^-1) for grass, gramineae or poaceae the species. For the¹³⁷Cs-associated aerosol particles the deposition velocity varied from 1.3 to 6.3 cm^. s^-1(average 3.4 cm^. s^-1), the washout ratio for¹³⁷Cs varied from 284 to 3810 (average 1295), the resuspension factor for the¹³⁷Cs-associated aerosol particles varied from 0.1^. 10^-4to 1.2^. 10^-4m^-1(average 0.6^. 10^-4m^-1) and the air-to-vegetation transfer rate for¹³⁷Cs varied from 39638 to 345279 m^3.kg^-1(average 181197 m^3.kg^-1) for grass, gramineae or poaceaethe species.     

Study on the preparation of a137Cs/137mBa radionuclide generator

^137mBa has been applied successfully to dynamic studies for diagnosis in nuclear medicine for a long time. A variety of inorganic exchangers have been employed for the separation of^137mBa from its parent¹³⁷Cs. In the present study, cupric cobaltic ferrocyanide and amorphous zirconyl phosphate were synthesized and compared for use in a¹³⁷Cs/^137mBa generator. The results show that the former can adsorb¹³⁷Cs more efficiently and provide high elution yield of^137mBa with greater than 99.99% radionuclide purity. A new generator involving multimillicuries of^137mBa, in connection with a computerized detection system, has been constructed.     

Structure investigations by P.A.C.

The perturbed angular correlation /P.A.C./ technique is employed to investigate the structures of barium ferrite and barium hexaferrite using radioactive¹³³Ba /10.7 Y/ as a probe. The quadrupole interaction frequencies /W_Q'S/ are found to be 9.68 and 12.02 Mrad sec^–1 for barium ferrite and barium hexaferrite, respectively, showing a drift from usual cubic structure.     

Internal standard activation analysis of silicon in steel

Non-destructive 14-MeV neutron activation analysis for silicon in steel has been applied with ⁵⁶Mn as internal standard.⁵⁶Mn is formed from the iron matrix via the ⁵⁶Fe(n,p)⁵⁶Mn reaction. Several methods of internal standardisation via⁵⁶Mn are discussed. The 0.84-MeV photopeak of ⁵⁶Mn is recommended if steel samples of about the same composition are to be analysed. Chemically analysed steel samples are used as silicon standards. A precision of 0.7% was obtained for an analysis plus standardisation time of 13 min. Special attention was paid to interferences produced by concentration changes of impurity elements. Several possible sources of errors were investigated.     

<Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs/<Superscript>137m</Superscript>Ba radioisotope generator based on 6-tungstocerate(IV) column matrix

Summary Barium-137m radioisotope generator of the chromatographic column elution mode based on loading 1.5 g 6-tungstocerate(IV) gel matrix with ~54 kBq of fission-produced ¹³⁷Cs is described. The elution performance of the generated ^137mBa radionuclide was investigated as a function of chemical composition of the eluent, flow rate, elution frequency, and age of the generator system. At comparable conditions, ^137mBa eluates with 0.9% NaCl-0.1M HCl eluent had higher elution yields and radionuclidic purity than with 0.1M NH₄Cl-0.1M HCl eluent. The generator has been repeatedly eluted for 311 days by passing 4810 ml of the saline eluent (10 ml × 481 elution operations) at a flow rate of 3.0 ml/min. Barium-137m eluates of high and reproducible elution yields, chemical and radionuclidic purities of (≥ 99.99%) were obtained.     

Thermoanalytical studies on lobster shell

Chromium(III) oxide reverses the sequence of dehydration of barium perchlorate trihydrate (BP). Between 223 and 310? the oxide reacts with anhydrous BP in a 1∶1 molar ratio to give the yellow barium dichromite BaCr₂O₄. Between 350 and 430? this material reacts in 1∶1 stoichiometry with BP, to give barium chromate BaCrO₄. The products have been identified by X-ray diffraction analysis. The formation of an unkown phase is also reported.     

Adsorption of A Multifunctional Additive (ZnDTC) Onto Iron and Iron(III) Oxide from n-Decane

The adsorption of zinc diisooctylodithiocarbamate (ZnDTC) onto iron and iron(III) oxide from n-decane solution was studied. The adsorption isotherms were determined together with the variation of the apparent differential molar enthalpy of displacement for ZnDTC on both adsorbents at 298 K. The shapes of the iostherms for the adsorption of dithiocarbamate on iron and iron(III) oxide are quite different, especially in the low coverage ratio. The corresponding differential molar enthalpies of displacement for the two studied systems are exothermic. On iron, the very high exothermic values indicate a process of ZnDTC chemisorption, while on iron(III) oxide, the much lower enthalpic effects are characteristic of physisorption.     

Vacuum balance and related studies of green and red rusts

Green and red rusts are formed when iron is partially or completely oxidised. Analogues of the rusts may be precipitated from iron(II) and iron (III) salt solutions treated with alkali under reducing or oxidising conditions. Variations in surface area and porosity have been investigated by gravimetric nitrogen gas sorption, using vacuum microbalance techniques.Freshly-precipitated red rusts, hydrous iron (III) oxide, have surface areas of about 200–400 m²g^?1. When they are added to iron (II) hydroxide suspensions kept at pH 7, the green Fe (II)-Fe (III) rusts formed have lower surface areas of about 40–100 m²g^?1, depending on the initial iron(II) sulphate concentrations.     

Particle dispersibility and giant reduction in dynamic modulus of magnetic gels containing barium ferrite and iron oxide particles

The particle dispersibility of barium ferrite and iron oxide magnetic particles in carrageenan gels was investigated, and the influence of the dispersibility on the giant reduction in the dynamic modulus of the gels was discussed. The gels containing barium ferrite demonstrated giant reductions in the storage Young's modulus on the order of 10 (5) Pa due to magnetization; however, small reductions in the storage modulus of less than 10 (4) Pa were observed for the gels containing iron oxide. The storage modulus of gels with barium ferrite did not follow the Krieger-Dougherty equation above volume fractions of 0.06, indicating the heterogeneous dispersion of the magnetic particles; however, the modulus of the gels with iron oxide satisfied the equation at all volume fractions, suggesting the random dispersion of the particles. It was noted that the gels with barium ferrite demonstrated enhanced nonlinear viscoelasticity and a large value of the loss tangent, while the gels with iron oxide exhibited weak nonlinear viscoelasticity and a small value of the loss tangent. Magnetic measurements indicated high values of remanent magnetization for barium ferrite and low values for iron oxide. After magnetization at 1 T, the magnetic gels with barium ferrite became elongated parallel to the magnetic field and shrunk perpendicular to the field. In contrast, the magnetic gels with iron oxide did not undergo a marked deformation. These results strongly indicate that the giant reduction in the storage modulus requires both enhanced nonlinear viscoelasticity and magnetostriction which originate from the particle dispersibility. The relationship between the dispersibility of magnetic particles and the giant reduction in the storage modulus is discussed using rheological and morphological data.     

(Ba, Sr)TiO3纳米棒的反相微乳法制备与表征

在氢氧化钡和氢氧化锶水溶液/Triton X-100/环己烷/正己醇四元W/O型反相微乳液中制备了钛酸锶钡纳米棒, 研究了ω₀值(水与表面活性剂Triton X-100的物质的量之比)、反应物浓度、陈化时间对产品形貌和尺寸的影响, 用TEM, SAED, SEM, EDS和XRD等技术对产品进行了表征. 结果表明, 所得Ba_0.7Sr_0.3TiO₃纳米棒长约500～1200 nm、直径约为50～120 nm; 具有立方相单晶结构. 产品中钡、锶、钛的物质的量之比约为0.7∶0.3∶1.     

A novel technique for simultaneous diagnosis and radioprotection by radioactive cerium oxide nanoparticles: study of cyclotron production of <Superscript>137m</Superscript>Ce

Application of nanoparticles in nuclear medicine has aimed to develop diagnosis and therapeutic techniques. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) are expected to be useful for protection of healthy tissue from radiation-induced harm and could serve therapeutic function. Among a variety of cerium radioisotopes, ^137mCe (T _1/2 = 34.4 h, IT (99.22%), β⁺ (0.779%)) could be a novel candidate radionuclide in the field of diagnosis owing to its appropriate half-life, 99.91% natural abundance of target and its intense gamma line at 254.29 keV. In this study, ^137mCe excitation function via the ^natLa(p,3n) reaction was calculated by TALYS-1.2 and EMPIRE-3 codes. The excitation function calculations demonstrated that the ^natLa(p,3n)^137mCe reaction leads to the formation of the ^136/138Ce isotopic contamination in the 22–35 MeV energy range. Interestingly, the isotopic impurities of ^137mCe could serve radio protector function. Overall results indicate that the cyclotron produced ^137mCeO₂ nanoparticles by irradiation of a target encompassing lanthanum oxide nanoparticles could be a potent alternative for conventional diagnostic radionuclides with simultaneous radioprotection capacity.     

Determination of silicon in rocks by fast-neutron activation analysis using internal standards

A technique for using internal standards in the determination of Si in rocks using fast neutron activation is presented. Different weights of barium acetate were irradiated for 30 seconds then cooled for 10 seconds before counting for one minute. A peak area, at 0.662 MeV due to^137mBa, versus weight of barium calibration curve (I) was made. Similarly, barium acetate, which served as the neutron flux monitor, was mixed with known weights of standard rocks, BCR-1 and G-2. Then a peak area (at 1.78 MeV due to²⁸Al) versus weight of silicon (present in the standard rocks) calibration curve (II) was constructed which was corrected for flux variations. Flux corrections were made possible using curve (I). Utilizing curve (I) and curve (II) the percentage Si in granite samples obtained from Llano, Texas, was determined. This technique avoids any external neutron monitor or sample rotation system. The applicability of this approach may be limited to samples in which the internal flux monitor can be dispersed. On assignment from the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission, Manila, NAS-IAEA Fellow.