Rapid determination of thorium-230 in mill tailings by .alpha. spectrometry

Abstract

A rapid procedure for the determination of 230Th In mid tailings by a spectrometry following lithium metaborate fusion and purification by solvent extraction has been developed. The source for a spectrometry Is prepared by coprecipitation with cerium fluoride. The procedure has been applied to samples collected at Department of Energy remedial action sites, demonstrating an accuracy of 2.5 % and a precision of 5 %. The detection limit Is 0.3 pCI/g. With this procedure, a single analyst can analyze 15 samples/day.

Long-term stability of solid standards for radiochemical analysis

“…This sample demonstrates again "That solids can be made to act almost like liquids with respect to homogeneity and dilution..." (1). It is interesting to note that Donivan et al (7) obtained 251 ± 1 pCi/g for the mean and experimental standard deviation of two to five analyses of this same material obtained from EPA. Although the age, size, and storage conditions of their sample are unknown, there is no significant difference discernible in the results.…”

“…The development of novel electrode materials for use in the detection of carbohydrate compounds is currently an area of very active investigation. The most important of the approaches reported to date have utilized either metallic electrode substrates, such as platinum (1-3), gold (4)(5)(6)(7)(8), and nickel (9-11), or surface-attached metal electrocatalysts, such as cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPC) (12-14), to obtain enhanced carbohydrate oxidation over that seen at conventional carbon electrodes. Thus far, all of these electrodes have been shown to enable direct detection of carbohydrates, without derivatization, at the nanomolar level or below; and the platinum and gold systems form the basis of the commercially available liquid chromatography/electrochemical detection (LCEC) units currently recommended for carbohydrate analysis.…”