The determination of rare earths in yttrium oxide by means of a preconcentration technique and Ge(Li) gamma-spectrometry

Before preconcentration the yttrium matrix is separated from the lanthanides by means of cation- and/or anion-exchange. The rare earth elements are then concentrated by coprecipitation with 5.0 mg of iron as Fe(OH) in quartz centrifuge tubes. The dehydrated Fe-REE mixture is then irradiated and counted, without any further major manipulations, by means of Ge(Li) gamma-spectrometry, the⁵⁹Fe activity acting as a f' x monitor and as an internal standard.