A rapid radiochemical procedure for uranium determination in natural waters

A neutron activation analysis method for the determination of uranium in natural fresh waters is described. The method is based on a preconcentration step by precipitation of the metal oxinate on a phenolphtalein bed followed by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Preliminary investigations with²³⁹U radiotracer were carried cut to set up the best working conditions and to evaluate the chemical yield. The whole procedure has been applied to the determination of uranium in river water.     

A rapid quantitative method for humic substances determination in natural waters

A simple and rapid method was proposed for humic substances (HS) determination at microgram levels in natural waters. This assay method is based on the binding of a dye, Toluidine Blue (TB), to HS molecules to produce a dye-HS complex, which causes a decrease in absorbance at 630 nm. This method was calibrated with HS samples with up to a concentration of 40 mg L⁻¹, which covered the range of dissolved HS concentrations present in natural waters. The detection limit was 0.8 mg L⁻¹ of HS, and the relative standard deviation of 10 replicate measurements for a 20-mg L⁻¹ standard sample was 3.5%. From the Langmuir adsorption isotherm theory, the binding equilibrium constant and total number of binding sites at neutral pH were calculated to be (8.17 ± 0.42) × 10⁵ L mol⁻¹ and N of 1.45 ± 0.04 mmol g⁻¹ HS, respectively. The determination results with five water samples from lake, river and pond were consistent with those measured with the reference methods, demonstrating that this quantification method for HS determination was rapid, sensitive and feasible.     

Effects of digestion,chemical separation,and deposition on Po-210 quantitative analysis

The purpose of this work was to determine polonium losses from a variety of sample types (soil, cotton fiber, and air filter) due to digestion technique, chemical separation, and deposition method for alpha energy analysis. Results demonstrated that yields from a perchloric acid wet-ash (87 ± 5 %) were similar to that from a microwave digestion (100 ± 7 %), but both were greater than the dry-ash procedure (38 ± 5 %). The polonium was separated from an SRM soil using an AG1X8 ion exchange column and deposited on a Ag disk with a recovery of 83 ± 7 % of polonium-209 (Po-209). Deposition yields without chemical separation averaged 90 ± 5 % of Po-209. The polonium-210 content was successfully measured in the three matrix types and quantitated using alpha spectroscopy.     

Species determination of selenium in natural waters

A method is described for the determination in natural waters of selenite, selenate, dimethyl selenide, and dimethyl diselenide. The detection limits are in the parts per trillion range. The volatile methyl species are removed from the sample with a stripping gas. The inorganic forms are selectively reduced to the hydride, and also stripped from the sample. A liquid nitrogen trap is used to collect both the selenides and the generated hydrides. Separation of the methyl species is accomplished by gas chromatography. All the species are detected by an atomic absorption spectrometer equipped with a quartz tube furnace.     

Determination of (210)Pb, (210)Bi and (210)Po in natural waters and other materials by electrochemical separation

An improved method for determination of (210)Pb, (210)Bi and (210)Po in both natural waters and solid materials has been developed. Polonium-210 is spontaneously plated onto a silver disc from dilute hydrochloric acid medium. Bismuth-210 is then electro-deposited onto a platinum gauze cathode directly from the same solution, with a graphite rod as anode. Finally, (210)Pb is electro-deposited from a fluoroborate medium onto the same platinum gauze, used as the anode. All three nuclides are subsequently measured by standard low-level alpha and beta counting techniques. The speed of this method (approximately 6 hr per sample after pretreatment) is a distinct advantage over existing techniques, as (210)Bi must be quickly separated from (210)Pb because of its 5.02-day half-life. Another advantage of this method is that the chemical form of the sample solution is suitable for use of established separation schemes for determining other decay-series isotopes (U, Th, Pa, etc.) after the three short-lived nuclides have been processed.     

Spectrophotometric determination of uranium in natural waters

A method for the spectrophotometric determination of uranium in samples of natural water is described. Ion exchange with Amberlite IR-120 (H⁺) to concentrate the metal was used. The absorption properties of the complex formed between uranium and the chromogenic reagent Arsenazo III, its stability over several hours, the effect of the pH on the ability of the resin to retain uranium, the reproducibility of the method and the effects of ionic interferences were considered. The sensitivity was 0.67 and 0.05 μg l^?1 of uranium for the direct and the addition methods, respectively. Uranium concentrations for the samples analysed were between 0.10 and 0.50 μg l^?1.     

Auto-deposition of 210Bi and 210Po on nickel discs and their application in the analysis of natural waters

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - This study presents a time-efficient method of analysing 210Pb, 210Bi, and 210Po in natural waters. The optimum pH (1.00), temperature...     

The determination of bismuth in sea and natural waters

A spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of bismuth in natural waters, particularly sea water at the level of ca. 0.02 μg/l. The element is concentrated from the acidified sample, by sorption onto De-Acidite FF anion exchanger, eluted with nitric acid and determined photometrically with dithizone. The overall efficiency of the separation process was determined radiochemically and amounted to ca. 85%. The interference of elements also taken up in the ion-exchange process was negligible at their normal levels in natural waters. A deep water sample from the North Atlantic was found to contain 0.015μg Bi/l.     

The determination of thallium in sediments and natural waters

Thallium is determined in natural waters (including sea water) by first preconcentrating it by adsorption from oxidizing medium onto a strongly basic anion exchanger as the tetrachlorothallate(III) ion. After elution with sulphur dioxide and evaporation, thallium is estimated either by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry or by differential-pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. Relative standard deviations of 4% were found for both endpoints at thallium concentrations of 15 ng l^?1. There was good agreement between the results obtained by the two techniques. The technique is also applied to digests from deep-sea sediments.     

Determination of 210Pb, 210Bi and 210Po in natural drinking water

A new method for the radioanalytical determination of the ²²²Rn progenies ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Bi and ²¹⁰Powill be presented, which has been improved for analyses of water samples fromdifferent regions in Austria. 1–2 liter samples were taken in polyethylenebottles prefilled with conc. HNO₃ to obtain 0.2M acidic solutions,thus avoiding adsorption effects. After adding 1.6 mg of inactive lead carrier,the water sample was evaporated to dryness, converted to the chloride formand dissolved in 1M HCl.     

Rapid determination of dissolved silica in natural waters

A method is described for the simple and rapid determination of soluble silica in natural waters, based on the well-known molybdenum blue complex. Soluble silica reacts with an excess of ammonium molybdate at pH 1.5–2 to form silicomolybdate. Citrate/tartrate addition reduces phosphate and arsenate interference, if present. An acid solution if iron(II) and fluoride ions is used as reductant. Absorbance is read at 828 nm. The solution is stable at least 2 hr. Traces of silica are determinable down to 10 μg SiO₂ liter^?1 with an error of ± 3%. The analysis time is about 10 min. The effect caused by several other ions has been determined.     

The determination of chromium species in natural waters

A method for the determination of chromium species has been developed and successfully applied to both fresh and sea water samples. The method utilizes pre-concentration of total chromium, chromium(ni) and particulate chromium at natural pH with accurate and precise analysis by a single flameless atomic absorption procedure. A minimal blank allows for a reliable detection limit of 0.02 nM, which is sufficient for most natural waters with chromium concentrations in the range 0.01–10 nM. Immediate shipboard preconcentration of the samples minimizes storage problems. The method is simple and rapid; 20 samples can be analysed in duplicate for total chromium, chromium(III) and particulate chromium in one day with routinely available reagents and equipment.     

Automatic ultramicro determination of iodine in natural waters

An automatic spectrophotometric reaction rate method is described for the ultramicro determination of iodine in natural waters. The method is based on the catalytic effect of iodine on the reduction of cerium(IV) by arsenic(III). The time required for a small fixed (about 0.06 unit) change in absorbance is measured automatically and related to the iodine concentration. Speed and the small size of the sample needed are the main advantages over other methods. Iodine in water in the range 1 to 15 μg/l in a total volume ot 4 ml is determined with errors smaller than ±0.3 μg /l.     

Flow-injection photometric determination of trace copper in natural waters

A procedure for the flow-injection photometric determination of trace copper(II) in fresh natural waters is developed using a sorption preconcentration on the Diasorb-IDK-130 adsorbent with iminodiacetate groups. The procedure provides the determination of copper in the concentration range from 0.5 to 20 μg/L     

Trace determination of α-keto acid in natural waters

Numerous chromatographic methods have been developed to detect α-keto acids in physiological or sea-water samples. These methods generally involve derivatization in a strongly acidic medium with elevated temperatures, desalting, preconcentration, and liquid-liquid extraction procedures prior to chromatographic analysis. These procedures may introduce significant errors because of adsorption losses, contamination, or decomposition of the α-keto acids. To avoid these potential problems, a chemically mild method to detect α-keto acids in sea water was developed. The method is based on the reaction of α-keto acids with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in sea water to form stable hydrazone derivatives. Desalting of the reaction mixture and preconcentration of the hydrazone derivatives is accomplished by a column-switching technique. The derivatives are separated by reversed-phase, high-performance liquid chromatography and detected by absorption spectrometry. Quantification of α-keto acids in the nM to μM concentration range shows complete recovery in sea water, excellent precision at 10–20 pmol (<5% relative standard deviation), and absorbances that are linearly related to α-keto acid concentrations. The detection limit of this method is 1–5 pmol for a 2-ml injection. Applications of this method to the detection of α-keto acids in marine sediment and sea-water samples are illustrated, and the first shipboard results are presented.     

Flow-injection ultraviolet spectrophotometric determination of sulphate in natural waters

The proposed method is based on measurement of the absorbance of the FeSO₄⁺ complex cation at 355 nm. Sample-injection and reagent-injection procedures are described. Calibration graphs are linear in the ranges 25–600 and 10–150 mg l^?1 sulphate, respectively. The main interference is from ultraviolet-absorbing organic compounds in the waters. Methods of eliminating the interference are discussed. Results for sulphate in river waters compare satisfactorily with those obtained by the gravimetric method. Depending on the pretreatment used, 10–30 samples can be analyzed per hour.     

Continuous-flow determination of manganese in natural waters containing iron

A re-evaluation of the use of formaldoxime to determine manganese in natural waters at concentrations of 0–100 μM is reported. Addition of EDTA after formation of the manganese/formaldoxime complex removes interference from up to 100 μM iron. The extents of formation and destruction of the iron and manganese complexes with formaldoxime depend on the pH of the solution and on the time between reagent addition and measurement of absorbance.     

Preconcentration and selective determination of traces of tin in natural waters

A combined preconcentration-photometric determination technique has been worked out for trace concentration of tin in fresh and sea waters. After refluxing the sample acidified to 1M HCl for 2 h, tin is preconcentrated by anion-exchange in the presence of thiocyanate and recovered by elution with dilute HNO₃. Tin is then generated as stannane, caught in permanganate solution, and determined spectrpphotometrically with phenylfluorone. The results are quoted on the determination of tin in several fresh and sea waters in the order of submicrogram of tin per litre. The results for tin are in good agreement with those obtained for these samples by manganese dioxide coprecipitation-hydride generation-phenylfluorone spectrophotometric method that is also newly developed.