Narrow span coulometric analysis of neptunium

A narrow span (E _o ±0.1 V) controlled potential coulometric method has been developed for the determination of neptunium in 1M H₂SO₄ with a RSD of 0.2%. The main advantage of this method over the existing coulometric methods is that it can tolerate up to a 5-fold excess of plutonium. The method involves carrying out the electrolysis to about 97% and calculating by an iterative computation the formal electrode potential in situ, which is used to calculate the total amount present in the sample. The method consists in oxidation of all the neptunium to Np (VI) by Ce(IV), destruction of excess Ce(IV) and reduction of Np(VI) to Np(V) by NaNO₂, destruction of excess nitrite by sulfamic acid followed by coulometric titration of Np(V) to Np(VI).