Rapid determination of 89Sr and 90Sr in radioactive waste using Sr extraction disk and beta-ray spectrometer

A rapid determination method in which beta-ray spectrometry was combined with solid phase extraction using Sr Rad Disk was developed for the determination of ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr in low-level radioactive waste. Various amounts of ⁸⁹Sr, ⁹⁰Sr, and ⁹⁰Y retained by the Sr Rad Disk was measured by a beta-ray spectrometer, and it was found that both ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr were simultaneously determined with <30% error (2σ) at ⁸⁹Sr/⁹⁰Sr radioactivity ratio of 0.3 to 45. The present method was successfully applied to actual radioactive liquid waste samples arising from nuclear facilities in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Strontium was simply separated from interfering nuclides such as ¹³⁷Cs and ¹⁵⁴Eu, and matrix components by the Sr Rad Disk, and the results obtained by beta-ray spectrometry was in good agreement with that of the conventional analysis.     

Analysis of Th, U, Pu, and Am in radioactive metal waste using extraction chromatography

In order to analyze actinide elements in radioactive metal waste, the dissolution and chemical separation conditions were optimized. The surfaces of a type 304 stainless steel plate and of pipe waste sampled from the prototype advanced thermal reactor (Fugen) were dissolved in mixed acid solution (HNO₃:HCl:H₂O = 1:1:4). The resulting solution was evaporated to dryness and dissolved with 2 mol/dm³ of HNO₃ to prepare sample solutions. In order to analyze trivalent actinide elements in the sample solution containing a large amount of Fe(III) (>0.1 g) using TRU resin, the effect of Fe(III) concentration on the recovery of Am(III) and reduction effect of Fe(III) to Fe(II) with ascorbic acid were studied. On the basis of results of this study, chemical separation scheme was constructed and Pu and Am in the sample solutions were separated. Thorium and U in the sample solutions were separated with UTEVA resin. High recoveries for all experimented elements were obtained from the analysis of spiked sample solutions, the effectiveness of the method was confirmed.     

Application of extraction chromatography to the separation of thorium and uranium dissolved in a solution of high salt concentration

Extraction chromatography with commercially available UTEVA resin (for uranium and tetravalent actinide) was applied for the separation of Th and U from control solutions prepared from a multi-element control solution and from sample solutions of solidified simulated waste. Thorium and U in control solutions with 1-5mol/dm(3) HNO(3) were extracted with UTEVA resin and recovered with a solution containing 0.1mol/dm(3) HNO(3) and 0.05mol/dm(3) oxalic acid to be separated from the other metallic elements. Extraction behavior of U in the sample solutions was similar to that in the control solutions, but extraction of Th was dependent on the concentration of HNO(3). Thorium was extracted from 5mol/dm(3) HNO(3) sample solutions but not from 1mol/dm(3) HNO(3) sample solutions. We conjecture that thorium fluoride formation interferes with extraction of Th. Addition of Al(NO(3))(3) and Fe(NO(3))(3), which have higher stability constant with fluoride ion than Th, does improve extractability of Th from 1mol/dm(3) HNO(3) sample solution.     

Mixed insoluble acidic salts of tetravalent metals V. Effect of gamma radiation and drying temperature on granular mixed zirconium-titanium phosphates

Solid ZrOCl₂·8H₂O was added in a slow stream to a solution of phosphoric acid or to a solution of TiCl₄ in phosphoric acid to obtain granules of amorphous Zr(HPO₄)₂·nH₂O or Zr_xTi(_1–x) (HPO₄)₂·nH₂O(where x=0.95–0.80). Half of each product had been soaked in ethanol to produce alcohol solvated materials. It was found that the particle size of the resulting materials is very similar to that of ZrOCl₂·8H₂O, in such a way that it may be controlled indirectly. These materials are suitable for ion-exchange column operations. The relatively high gamma radiation doses of⁶⁰Co source did not alter its exchange properties. pH-titrations were performed by an automatic titrimeter and the exchange capacities of alkali metal ions were determined by isotopic tracer technique. Effect of drying temperature on the ion exchange properties of Na⁺, K⁺ and Cs⁺ on the granular materials have been studied. Other characterizations were made by usual chemical analysis and thermography.     

Thermal behaviour of acidic salts of mixed tetravalent metals

The results of investigations on intercalated crystalline zirconium phosphate are described in the literature. The behaviour of crystalline phosphates containing both zirconium and titanium metal ions has not been investigated previously. Within these investigations, the thermal behaviour of such materials has been studied in the temperature interval 25–1000 °C by simultaneous recording of TG, DTG and DTA curves. The results are presented in this paper.

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Zusammenfassung Ergebnisse über Untersuchungen an in Schichten eingelagerten kristallinen Zirkoniumphosphat sind in der Literatur beschrieben. Das Verhalten kristalliner Phosphate, die sowohl Zirkoniumals auch Titanmetallionen enthalten, wurde bis jetzt nicht untersucht. Als Teil dieser Untersuchungen wurde das thermische Verhalten solcher Materialien im Temperaturbereich 25–1000 °C durch simultanes Registrieren der TG-, DTG- und DTA-Kurven näher bestimmt, dessen Ergebnisse hier dargelegt werden.

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. , . , , 25–1000°. .

     

Thermal behaviour of acidic salts of mixed tetravalent metals

Mixed zirconium-titanium phosphate samples were irradiated in a gamma-radiation facility with a Co-60 source. The adsorbed dose was 10⁶ Gy. At this dose, a change in thermal bahaviour was found only for the samples intercalated withn-butylamine orn-propylamine. Further, it was found that the titanium catalysed the decomposition and the loss of organic molecules.

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Zusammenfassung Gemischte Zirkonium-Titanphosphatproben wurden in einer Gammabestrahlungskammer mit einer Co-60-Quelle bestrahlt. Die adsorbierte Dosis betrug 10⁶ Gy. Bei dieser Dosis konnte eine Veränderung im thermischen Verhalten nur für Proben mit eingelagertemn-Butylamin odern-Propylamin festgestellt werden. Weiterhin wurde gefunden, daß Titan die Zersetzung und die Abgabe der organischen Moleküle katalysiert.

     

Multiple gamma-ray detection method and its application to nuclear chemistry

A new radionuclide quantification method is proposed on the basis of multiple gamma-ray detection, which is two or higher fold gamma-ray coincidence method. The coincidence method has so far been used for nuclear structure study. We apply this method for quantification of radioactive nuclei. The advantage of this method consists of high energy resolution and high sensitivity. It is successfully applied to nuclear waste analysis, neutron activation analysis and prompt gamma-ray analysis. The principle of the multiple gamma-ray detection method and future perspectives for an innovative pulsed neutron source and a new detector system will be presented.     

Generation, Microwave Spectrum, Barrier to Internal Rotation of Methyl Group, and ab Initio MO Calculation of syn-2-Nitrosopropene, syn-CH(2)&dbond;C(CH(3))&bond;N&dbond;O

syn-2-Nitrosopropene was generated, in the gas phase, by chemical reaction of 1-chloro-2-(hydroxyimino)propane with K(2)CO(3) and identified by microwave spectroscopy. The microwave spectrum of the reaction product was observed in the frequency range from 8.0 to 40.0 GHz. The rotational constants (MHz) were determined as A = 8744.09(6), B = 4846.07(2), and C = 3177.84(3) for CH(2)&dbond;C(CH(3))&bond;(14)NO (normal species) and A = 8664.36(5), B = 4822.15(3), and C = 3157.04(3) for CH(2)&dbond;C(CH(3))&bond;(15)NO ((15)N species) in the ground vibrational state. The values of the planar moment (P(cc) = (I(a) + I(b) - I(c))/2) obtained for the normal and (15)N species were 1.525(1) and 1.526(1) u ?(2), respectively. This suggests that the nitrogen atom lies in or is close to the ab inertial plane of the molecule and shows also that only two hydrogen atoms are located symmetrically out of the symmetry plane. The reaction product was determined to be syn-2-nitrosopropene by comparing the observed and calculated rotational constants, kappa (Ray's asymmetry parameter) and r(s) coordinates of the nitrogen atom. The dipole moments (D) were determined to be μ(a) = 2.43(5), μ(b) = 1.12(7), and μ(total) = 2.67(7). The barrier heights of the internal rotation owing to the methyl group of the normal species in the ground and first excited torsional states were determined to be 1750(50) and 1740(50) cal/mol (1 cal/mol = 4.184 J/mol), respectively. The (14)N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (MHz) were determined to be chi(aa) = 0.25(21), chi(bb) = -7.11(40), and chi(cc) = 6.85(61). Two vibrational excited states were observed and the vibrational frequencies (cm(-1)) of the C-N and C-C torsional modes were determined to be 160(40) and 175(40), respectively. The lifetime of syn-2-nitrosopropene was found to be ca. 2 min in the waveguide cell. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Adduct formation of copper(II) chelates of 1-hydroxypyrazole 2-oxides with substituted pyridines

Equilibrium constants have been determined for the adduct formation of 10 copper(II) chelates of the derivatives of 1-hydroxypyrazole 2-oxide with nine substituted pyridines at room temperature in chloroform solution. These adducts were shown to have 1:1 stoichiometry. All the stabilities of the adducts were governed by: (1) σ-donating ability of the nitrogen atom in the substituted pyridines to the copper(II) chelates, (2) electron-attracting forces of substituents at the 3- and 4-positions of the phenyl ring in the chelate ligands, and (3) the magnitude of the polar substituent constant of the substituents in the pyrazole ring of the chelate ligands.     

Purification of anionic fluorescent probes through precise fraction collection with a two-point detection system using multiple-stacking preparative capillary transient isotachophoresis

A novel combination of CE-based separation techniques was used for the precise fractionation of ionic compounds from impurities. The combination of on-capillary concentration and separation using transient isotachophoresis, with multiple injections and a two-point detection system provided higher efficiency, and accuracy at a microliter-scale injection volume, than when CE was individually used for purification. In this paper, we present successful applications of the CE fractionation techniques for the purification of fluorescein, fluorescein-4-isothiocyanate, two fluorescent metal ion probes, and a fluorescein-modified DNA aptamer. The purity of the isolated fluorescent probes ranged from 95 to 99%. Such high purity could not be achieved using chromatographic purification techniques. With relatively low dilution factors of 6–9, the purified probe solutions were practical for use as purified stock solutions. In addition, the fluorescein-modified DNA aptamer purified by our method was successfully used in a thrombin binding assay. The method developed was useful for the purification of anionic fluorescent reagents to be of ultratrace analytical grade for use with CE-LIF.