HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATION OF BERYLLIUM FROM SOME TRANSITION-METALS PRODUCED IN HIGH-ENERGY PROTON IRRADIATIONS OF MEDIUM MASS ELEMENTS - MEASUREMENT OF (P,BE-7) CROSS-SECTIONS

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the separation of Be-7 formed in high energy proton irradiation of medium mass elements like Fe, Cu etc. The bulk of the target material was removed in a preseparation step. Thereafter beryllium was obtaine d in a high purity within a few minutes elution time using a mixture o f 5 mM citric acid and 1.0 mM pyridinedicarboxylic acid as eluent and a SYKAM KO2 analytical cation-exchange column. The effect of Be-carrie r on the quality of separation was investigated. The quality of separa tion deteriorated with the increasing Be-carrier column loading. A cer tain amount of Be-carrier was, however, necessary in order to quantita te the results. By using low Be-carrier amounts (similar to 100 mu g) and determining the elution yield via a conductometric method, it was possible to obtain quantitative separation results. Besides the analyt ical column, a semi-preparative column was also used, and the Be separ ation yield determined gravimetrically. The cross sections for the (p, Be-7) process on Cu obtained using the two separation columns (analyt ical and semi-preparative) and the two separation yield determination methods agreed within 15%.