Purity control of uranium by neutron activation assay--II. Determination of manganese, nickel and copper

Activation analysis is applied for the simultaneous determination of manganese, nickel and copper in different uranium samples, including metallic uranium, uranium concentrates, oxide, acetate, nitrate and sodium uranate. The analytical scheme developed is based on separation of the uranium by paper chromatography and subsequent determination of these elements in the pile-irradiated residues by simple radiochemical operations. The reliability of the scheme proposed is tested, and the limits of sensitivity of the methods worked out are ascertained. Accordingly, microgram concentrations of the elements studied could be assayed in limited quantities of the samples analysed with a precision of +/- 15%. Reagent-blank determinations are also considered.