Preparation of ion exchange resin based elemental standards for use in activation analysis

Various methods of preparing standards for activation analysis have been reported in the literature. This paper describes the feasibility of preparing ion exchange resin based standards containing predetermined levels of ions. Using a solution of known initial concentration of the ion, and given the value of its distribution coefficient, it is possible to predict the resin concentration that will be obtained. Resins containing ppm levels of copper and manganese have been prepared and their stabilities evaluated over a period of time. The feasibility of preparing a multielement standard has been studied with five rare earth elements (La, Ce, Sm, Eu and Dy).