Co-separation of hafnium with zirconium oxychloride using175,181Hf as radioactive tracer

Co-separation of hafnium with zirconium oxychloride has been studied from 0 to 60°C with the help of^175,181Hf. It was found that zirconium oxychloride undergoes two transitions, one at about 33°C and another at about 59.5°C. From the value of the partition factor it was clear that a separation method based on fractional crystallisation of the oxychloride will not be a successful line of approach. The transition points were verified by DTA study. It was found from the DTA curve that hafnium oxychloride undergoes transition near 90°C. The solubility of zirconium oxychloride and the break in the partition factor also corroborate the above findings.