Rapid determination of thorium in ores : Separation as iodate in presence of oxalic acid

It has been shown that thorium could be precipitated quantitatively in 40% nitric acid solution as iodate, in presence of oxalic acid which complexes all those elements that interfere seriously in the usual iodate procedure. Thorium is thus freed from all the cations in a single operation from solutions containing sulphate and phosphate radicals. The method is very quick and thorium oxide in a sample of monazitc could be estimated with precision in 8–9 hours.