584 Å pes of the Cs 5p levels in atomic Cs and in the CsCl molecule

Cs 5p photoelectron spectra of atomic Cs and the CsCl molecule are compared. The atomic spectrum shows seven peaks, four of which belong to the 5p⁵6s configuration and the remaining three belong to the 5p⁵5d configuration mixed through a configuration-interaction mechanism. The molecular spectrum shows five peaks, three of which can be correlated with the 5p ionization and the other two are proposed to result from a configuration interaction similar to the atomic case.     

Separation and measurement of cesium-137 in precipitation

In rainwater samples containing fallout debris of recent origin, the ¹³⁷Cs absorption peak in a γ-ray scintillation spectrum contained, and was often completely obscured by, contributions from other γ-ray emitting radionuclides, so that the ¹³⁷Cs activity could not be determined directly. Precipitation samples were collected with rain funnels and passed through Dowex 50W-X12 cation-exchange columns. The ¹³⁷Cs was selectively eluted with 0.5 M ammonium nitrate. The absolute recovery of ¹³⁷Cs was complicated by the presence of airborne sediments that were invariably collected with the sample and could irreversibly fix ¹³⁷Cs from the rainwater.     

Cs(ATZ)的制备、晶体结构与热力学性质

以5-氨基四唑(ATZ)和氢氧化铯溶液为原料, 制备了配合物Cs(ATZ)并培养出单晶, 结构由X-ray单晶衍射测定. 晶体属正交晶系, 空间群Pnma, 晶体学参数: a＝0.8114(4) nm, b＝0.6907(4) nm, c＝0.9122(5) nm, V＝0.5113(5) nm³, D_c＝2.819 g/cm³, Z＝4, F(000)＝392, m＝7.112 mm^－1, R＝0.0485. 其中Cs^＋与9个氮原子配位, 分子间通过氢键、金属离子与N原子的桥连接及分子间作用力, 形成三维结构, 增加了晶体结构的稳定性. 同时, 用红外、拉曼光谱对配合物进行了表征. 根据测得的ATZ及Cs(ATZ)在氢氧化铯溶液中的反应焓和溶解焓, 算得配合物Cs(ATZ)标准摩尔生成焓为 (－430.56±0.43) kJ•mol^－1.     

Sorption of Co, Cs, Sr and I onto argillaceous rock as studied by radiotracers</p> </p>

Summary Sorption of⁶⁰Co,⁸⁵Sr, 137Cs and¹²⁵I have been studied on samples originated from Boda (siltstone-) claystone formation (BCF) (Hungary). The distribution of K_dvalues have been determined in static batch experiments using natural groundwater. The order of sorption of isotopes was Co>Cs>Sr>I, where iodine exhibits sorption properties in a modest extent. The sorption isotherm was determined for Cs from measurements carried out in 10^-5-10^-1M initial concentration range. The isotherm can be described with non-linear Freundlich approximation in the range of</o:p></p> 10^-7-10^-4M equilibrium concentration. At concentrations >10^-2M the isotherm achieves saturation. Hence, it is suggested that sorption of Cs on BCF is dominated by cation-exchange reactions on the illite mineral component. In the case of Co and Sr, precipitation reactions occurred during the experiments performed with carrier-containing solutions. This can be attributed to the low values of solubility product constants of SrCO₃, SrSO₄and Co(OH)₂, formed from anions present in the natural groundwater.</p> </p>     

Soil-to-plant transfer of 137Cs and 40K in an Atlantic blanket bog ecosystem

The transfer of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁴⁰K from soil to vegetation was studied in an Atlantic blanket bog ecosystem along the Atlantic coast of Ireland where the dominant vegetation is a mixture of Calluna vulgaris, Eriophorum vaginatum and Sphagnum mosses. The impact of soil chemistry and nutritional status of vegetation on the uptake of both radionuclides was also examined. Cesium-137 transfer factors values ranged from 1.9 to 9.6 and accumulation of ¹³⁷Cs was higher in the leaves of C. vulgaris than in the stems. Transfer factors values for ¹³⁷Cs in both C. vulgaris and E. vaginatum were similar indicating that for the vegetation studied, uptake is not dependent on plant species. The uptake of ¹³⁷Cs in bog vegetation was found to be positively correlated with the nutrient status of vegetation, in particular the secondary nutrients, calcium and magnesium. Potassium-40 transfer factors ranged from 0.9 to 13.8 and uptake was higher in E. vaginatum than in C. vulgaris, however, unlike ¹³⁷Cs, the concentrations of ⁴⁰K within the leaves and stems of C. vulgaris were similar. The concentration of both ¹³⁷Cs and ⁴⁰K found in moss samples were in general lower than those found in vascular plants.     

Specificity of Lichen Species in Respect to 137Cs Binding

Abstract

The aim of this work was to investigate the significance of species specificity on the efficiency of ¹³⁷Cs isolation from lichens. It was shown that a 5% solution of both ammonium oxalate and phosphoric acid was able to solubilize 77.5% of ¹³⁷Cs from Cetraria islandica, 47.6% from Cladonia fimbriata and 46.4% from Usnea barbata. Since the tested lichen species had similar specific radioactivities (i.e. amount of ¹³⁷Cs) the difference could be explained by the existence of different types of bonds between radiocesium and the corresponding binding sites. Crystals precipitated from these extracts incorporated most of the soluble ¹³⁷Cs. The amount and specific radioactivity of the crystals varied between lichen species which could also be interpreted as the presence of specific ions in each lichen that either participated in crystal formation or inhibited the process. The potential of a tested solution to extract and “concentrate” ¹³⁷Cs in crystalline form may be a tool to correlate mass and radioactivity of ¹³⁷Cs.     

Uptake of cesium and strontium by crystalline silicotitanates from radioactive wastes

Crystalline silicotitanate inorganic ion exchanger, with a sitinakite structure is candidate material for remediation of aqueous nuclear waste streams. The syntheses of crystalline silicotitanate (CST) and Nb-substituted crystalline silcotitanate (Nb-CST) were carried out under hydrothermal conditions and the products were characterized using techniques viz., XRD, SEM/EDS, DTA/TGA, surface area respectively. Batch experiments were carried out to study the kinetics of uptake of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr, to estimate the decontamination factor (DF) values and distribution coefficients (K _d) for the above synthesized CST and Nb-CST samples from actual radioactive waste solutions. The DF values for uptake of Cs and Sr by Nb-CST after 24 h of equilibration was 355 and 136 whereas for CST it was found to be 40 and 176 respectively. The K _d values for uptake of Cs and Sr for Nb-CST after 24 h of equilibration was found to be 35,490 and 13,500 mL/g respectively whereas the K _d values for uptake of Cs and Sr for CST was found to be 4,025 and 17,525 mL/g respectively. The ion exchange capacity of Nb-CST towards ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs was estimated to be 11.8 and 3.2 meq/g respectively whereas the ion exchange capacity of CST towards ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs was estimated to be 14.6 and 4.4 meq/g respectively.     

The distribution and behaviour of artificial radionuclides in sediments of the north Wales coast,U.K.

The distribution of¹³⁴Cs,¹³⁷Cs and²¹⁴Am in surface and core sediments from areas in north Wales has been investigated. Coastal sites show a predominance of Sellafield-derived material for all three radionuclides whereas estuarine sites show an increased proportion of Chemobyl-derived caesium present. By the use of the¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio, a mean proportion of Chemobyl-derived¹³⁷Cs in surface sediments collected in 1991 fell from 34% at an estuarine site to 11% at a coastal site. In deeper sections of cores representing sedimentation dates near the Chemobyl accident, up to 90% of¹³⁷Cs at the estuarine site and 26% at the coastal site can be attributed to Chemobyl. By using the position of the Chemobyl¹³⁴Cs and¹³⁷Cs peak in the cores, sedimentation rates of 0.7 mm·a^–1 were calculated.     

Long-term transfer of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs from soil to mushrooms in a semi-natural environment

The radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl accident resulted in high concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in several mushrooms species. Mushroom samples were collected in a forest environment between 1986 and 2007 and the transfer of ¹³⁷Cs to two edible species, Suillus variegatus and Cantharellus spp., was investigated. The ¹³⁷Cs uptake by the collected samples did not decrease over time and in Cantharellus spp. a significant increase was observed. Most of the ¹³⁷Cs in soil still appears to be available for uptake and radioactive decay of the radionuclide is likely the main factor for the reduction of ¹³⁷Cs in a forest ecosystem.     

The determination of134Cs,137Cs,210Pb,226Ra and228Ra concentrations in nearshore marine sediments and seawater

Multi-radionuclide analyses of coastal marine sediments and seawater can be of considerable value in defining rates and mechanisms of nearshore processes. A preliminary study of¹³⁴Cs,¹³⁷Cs,²¹⁰Pb,²²⁶Ra and²²⁸Ra in the Clyde Sea Area has been performed. A summary of the marine geochemistries of these species and a detailed account of methods involved in their routine analysis are described.     

Effects of pH and Concentration on Cs Ions Sorption and Diffusion in Crushed Granite by Using Batch and Modified Capillary Method

A comprehensive evaluation of Cs ions sorption to and diffusion in crushed granite was conducted in this study. The sorption capacity of crushed granite suggested by the Langmuir model was 5.48 × 10^?6 mol‐Cs/g‐granite. The distribution coefficient (Kd) was around 7.5 mL/g and pH independent. By using an in‐diffusion method with a modified capillary column, some diffusion relevant parameters of Cs ions in crushed granite were derived. The apparent diffusion coefficient (Da) seemed unaffected by Cs concentration (1.15 × 10^?10 to 2.82 × 10^?10 m²/s, at 10^?7 and 10^?3 M, respectively). The determined effective diffusion coefficients (De) were located in the window from 8.59 × 10^?10 (10^?7 M) to 1.69 × 10^?9 (10^?3 M) m²/s. Under various pH environments, pH independent Da (9.0 × 10^?9 m²/s) and De (1.0 × 10^?9 m²/s) values were observed. Under current systems, consistently higher De than Da implied the diffusion of Cs ions was governed by surface diffusion phenomenon. Whereas the pH insensitive feature indicated the Cs sorption to crushed granite was mainly through ion‐exchange reaction. Moreover, further SEM/EDS mapping clearly showed the adsorbed Cs ions were highly concentrated on the fracture surface of biotite.     

Effect of salinity on biological concentrations of 137Cs in phytoplankton inhabited in brackish Lake Obuchi, Japan, bordered by nuclear fuel facilities

Lake Obuchi is on the Shimokita Peninsula, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, near several nuclear fuel-related facilities. The lake contains from oligohaline to polyhaline regions, and the salinity fluctuates greatly both spatially and temporally. This study examined the possible effect of salinity on biological concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in phytoplankton on the basis of a culture experiment using stable Cs and phytoplankton species isolated from the lake. In both Cyclotellaand Skeletonema, the biological concentrations of Cs varied with salinity conditions, and a positive linear relation was found between maximum proliferation and biological concentrations of Cs. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lycopodium cernuum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Funaria hygrometrica</Emphasis> as deposition indicators for radionuclides and trace metals

Summary Levels of ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Po, ¹³⁷Cs and some trace elements (Cu, Zn and Pb) in two most common mosses (Lycopodium cernuum and Funaria hygrometrica) distributed in the eastern Mediterranean sea region (Syrian coastal mountains series) have been determined. Radiochemical analysis has shown that these plants contain high levels of ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Po, ¹³⁷Cs. The highest concentration of ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Po and ¹³⁷Cs were found to be 1450, 1322 and 1140 Bq ^. kg^-1 dry wt. in L. cernuum, respectively. F. hygrometrica was found to have higher values of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po concentrations and reached 2392 and 2119 Bq ^. kg^-1 dry wt., respectively. Correlation coefficients for radionuclide levels in both plants versus their levels in soil have been determined: No correlation for ¹³⁷Cs for both plants has been observed. This indicates that ¹³⁷Cs in these plants is of atmospheric origin and the plants can be used as deposition indicators. In addition, a correlation with radionuclide levels was found only for ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po in F. hygrometrica samples and was mainly related to ²²⁶Ra content in soil and the existing faults, which are the main source of these radionuclides. On the other hand, lead concentration in L. cernuum was found to be in the range of 5-86.6 ppm, while F. hygrometrica samples were found to contain around 58 ppm. Both plants seem to accumulate lead from the atmosphere where vehicle emissions are the main source of lead in the region. Comparable concentrations of Cu and Zn were found in all plant and soil samples.     

Comparative study on sorption of individual and coupling cesium and selenium on mudrock

This study focused on sorption mechanism of Cs and Se in mudrock by batch techniques. Batch kinetics tests have been conducted with carriers 10^{− 4}M CsCl and SeO₂ by using individual and coupling radiotracers of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁷⁵Se. The distribution coefficients (K _d ) of Cs in synthetic groundwater (GW) and seawater (SW) showed that there is no interference between individual and coupling value (13 and 6 ml/g). Moreover, individual and coupling K _d ) (80 and 40 ml/g) of Se in GW and SW are in agreement with Cs. It is quite clear that the sorption mechanisms of Cs and Se on mudrock are independent and different by using radiotracer’s technique.     

Insights into Nitrogen-doped Carbon for Oxygen Reduction: The Role of Graphitic and Pyridinic Nitrogen Species

Nitrogen-doped carbons (N/Cs) manifest good catalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cell systems. However, to date, controversies remain on the role of active sites in N/Cs. In the present study, ORR test was conducted on three N/Cs in O₂-saturated 0.1 M KOH aqueous solution, where apparent linear correlation between graphitic N contents and ORR activity was observed. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that graphitic N doping is energetically more favorable than that of pyridinic N doping for ORR and the pyridinic N leads to more preferential with 2 e^– ORR pathway. These results reveal that graphitic N plays a key role in N/Cs mediated ORR activity. This work lays a solid foundation on identifying the active sites in heteroatom-doped carbons and can be exploited for rational design and engineering of effective carbon-based ORR catalysts.     

Anomalously high activities of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs in soils and vegetation on and near a diabase outcrop in La Sierra de Lema,Venezuela

As a result of routine soil sampling to determine the ¹³⁷Cs background activities country-wide in Venezuela, it was decided to further investigate El Mirador (Lookout) area at the base of the Sierra de Lema mountain range. In April 2003 (A), soil samples were collected at eight sites on and around the edge of the diabase outcrop to confirm that this area had anomalously high ¹³⁷Cs activities. In July 2003 (B), not only soil samples were collected again, but also black mat, palm tree leaves and trunks, fruit bushes leaves and its fruit and fern leaves. The ¹³⁷Cs content was measured by high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy by a comparative method with reference materials. The ¹³⁷Cs activity values range from 16.3 to 30.8 Bq·kg-1 in the soil samples collected in July 2003, 20.7–32.1 Bq·kg⁻¹ for the black mat, 26.3–38.4 Bq·kg⁻¹ for the palm leaves, 16.8–31.2 Bq·kg⁻¹ for the palm trunks and 17.6–27.3 Bq·kg⁻¹ for the fruit bush leaves, while, the ¹³⁷Cs activity values for the whole fruit were between 23.4 and 30.7 Bq·kg⁻¹; but, the value of the ¹³⁷Cs activity in the center of the fruit (the edible part) was 51.6 Bq·kg⁻¹, and the value of the ¹³⁷Cs activity for the fern leaves was 51.8 Bq·kg⁻¹. Thus, most of the ¹³⁷Cs activity values determined in the soil, black mat and vegetation samples from El Mirador (Lookout) were considered anomalously high with respect to those found near the equator and in other areas of Venezuela. Only the center of the fruit from the Clusia grandiflora bushes and the fern leaves had high activity ratios, about a factor of three and could be considered as biomonitors that concentrate and retain the ¹³⁷Cs. Finally, these anomalously high ¹³⁷Cs activities have been attributed not only to the rich organic soils, as sinks, but also due to the affect of the cloud forests.     

Evaluation of 239+240Pu, 137Cs and natural 210Pb fallout in agricultural upland fields in Rokkasho, Japan

The background distributions of ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs fallout in agricultural soil were investigated in Rokkasho where Japan's first commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant is now being constructed. The mean inventories of ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs in three fields with non-yam-cultivation history were 116 Bq·m⁻² and 3.4 kBq·m⁻², respectively. The mean atomic ratio of ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu for all studied fields was 0.18±0.04, and was similar to that of global fallout. The ^239+240Pu concentrations correlated very well with ¹³⁷Cs (r = 0.97) in spite of heavy disturbance of the soil, and the activity ratio of ^239+240Pu/¹³⁷Cs was 0.037±0.007, which is a typical value for global fallout. These results showed that the nuclides had similar behavior in agricultural upland fields in Rokkasho. Since ²¹⁰Pb is steadily deposited from the atmosphere to the land, this nuclide could be an index for the degree of disturbance of a field and of soil lost from the field. The ratio of excess ²¹⁰Pb inventory in the soil to the equivalent inventory of atmospheric ²¹⁰Pb deposition was 96%, and indicated that soil was not lost from the cultivated fields. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Dynamic computer simulations of Cs incorporation in Si during low‐energy (0.2–3 keV) irradiation

The incorporation of Cs atoms in silicon was investigated by dynamic computer simulations using the Monte‐Carlo code T‐DYN that takes into account the gradual change of the target composition due to the Cs irradiation. The implantation of Cs atoms at normal incidence was studied for four energies (0.2, 0.5, 1, and 3 keV) and three different Cs surface‐binding energies U_Cs (0.4, 0.8, and 2.4 eV). The total implantation fluences were 2 × 10¹⁷ Cs cm^?2 for 0.2 keV, 1.5 × 10¹⁷ Cs cm^?2 for 0.5 keV, and 1 × 10¹⁷ Cs cm^?2 for 1 and 3 keV. At these values, a stationary state has been reached. The steady‐state Cs‐surface concentrations exhibit a pronounced dependence both on impact energy and U_Cs, varying between ～1 (at 0.2 keV and U_Cs = 2.4 eV) and ～0.13 (3 keV and U_Cs = 0.4 eV). Under equilibrium, the partial sputtering yield of Si, Y_Si, experiences little influence of U_Cs, but varies with the Cs energy: at U_Cs = 0.8 eV from 0.09 to 1.0 Si atoms/Cs projectile. For all irradiation conditions a strongly preferential sputtering of Cs atoms as compared to Si atoms is found, increasing from 1.8 (at 3 keV and U_Cs = 2.4 eV) to 13.3 (at 0.2 keV and U_Cs = 0.4 eV). Preferential sputtering of Cs increases with decreasing irradiation energy and decreasing U_Cs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heavy Alkali Metal Manganate Complexes: Synthesis,Structures and Solvent-Induced Dissociation Effects

Rare examples of heavier alkali metal manganates [{(AM)Mn(CH₂SiMe₃)(N^‘Ar)₂}_∞] (AM=K, Rb, or Cs) [N^‘Ar=N(SiMe₃)(Dipp), where Dipp=2,6-iPr₂-C₆H₃] have been synthesised with the Rb and Cs examples crystallographically characterised. These heaviest manganates crystallise as polymeric zig-zag chains propagated by AM⋅⋅⋅π-arene interactions. Key to their preparation is to avoid Lewis base donor solvents. In contrast, using multidentate nitrogen donors encourages ligand scrambling leading to redistribution of these bimetallic manganate compounds into their corresponding homometallic species as witnessed for the complete Li - Cs series. Adding to the few known crystallographically characterised unsolvated and solvated rubidium and caesium s-block metal amides, six new derivatives ([{AM(N^‘Ar)}_∞], [{AM(N^‘Ar)⋅TMEDA}_∞], and [{AM(N^‘Ar)⋅PMDETA}_∞] where AM=Rb or Cs) have been structurally authenticated. Utilising monodentate diethyl ether as a donor, it was also possible to isolate and crystallographically characterise sodium manganate [(Et₂O)₂Na(ⁿBu)Mn[(N^‘Ar)₂], a monomeric, dinuclear structure prevented from aggregating by two blocking ether ligands bound to sodium.     

Vertical Profiles, Inventories, and Activity Ratios of 239+240Pu and 137Cs in Sediments from Sagami Bay, Western Northwest Pacific Margin

Marine sediment cores were taken from Sagami Bay of the western Northwest Pacific and analyzed for ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs activities. A significant correlation was observed between ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs activities in sediment cores, i.e., their vertical profiles. The measured activities which were used to obtain the inventories of ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs in the sediment column, showed large variations, ranging from 36 to 474 MBq/km² for ^239+240Pu and 49 to 652 MBq/km² for ¹³⁷Cs. ^239+240Pu inventories in the sediment from one region in the Bay, Sagami Nada were 5–10 times greater than those predicted from atmospheric global fallout 42 MBq/km² at the same latitude. On the other hand, ¹³⁷Cs inventories, with a mean value of 297±168 MBq/km², were much less than predicted, 2040 MBq/km². The activity ratios of ^239+240Pu/¹³⁷Cs obtained, with a mean of 0.65±0.17, were significantly greater than the ratio predicted from fallout, 0.021. Furthermore, there was a clear relationship between both ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs inventories and the water content, indicating that higher inventories may be attributed principally to concentration in, and scavenging by, fine-grained particles.