Determination of carbonate, bicarbonate and phosphate in uranium leach liquors containing KMnO(4) as oxidant

A simple, rapid and economic method has been developed for the reduction of potassium permanganate in alkaline carbonate uranium leach liquors to a colourless solution. The pink colour of permanganate, if not reduced, seriously impedes the determination of carbonate, bicarbonate and phosphate by titrimetry and spectrophotometry. Out of 17 reductants investigated, commercial sugar has been found to be the most effective, rapid, simple and interference free for further estimations. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time that sugar as a reductant has been made use of in analytical investigations.