Neutron activation analysis of rhenium in rocks and sediments by extraction chromatography on a pyridine-Kel-F column

A simple method for the determination of rhenium in rocks and sediments has been established. After a neutron-irradiated sample was decomposed by NaOH−Na₂O₂ fusion, the alkaline solution was fed onto a column of the mixed solvent pyridine-benzene (7:3 v/v) supported on Kel-F powder. By passage through the column of 4, 5N NaOH solution which had been equilibrated with the solvent mixture, perrhenate ion remained on the column but other nuclides were eluted. Subsequently, the perrhenate ion on the column could be eluted with a small amount of distilled water, and precipitated as tetraphenylarsonium perrhenate for counting the γ-activity of¹⁸⁶Re. By the present method 0.1 ng of rhenium could be determined with a recovery of 90–95% and an error of ±10%. A part of this work was performed at the Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University.