Ep. Horwitz et al., SEPARATION AND PRECONCENTRATION OF ACTINIDES FROM ACIDIC MEDIA BY EXTRACTION CHROMATOGRAPHY, Analytica chimica acta, 281(2), 1993, pp. 361-372
A systematic examination of the effect of nitric and hydrochloric acid
concentrations and of macro levels of selected elements on the sorpti
on of actinide ions by a novel extraction chromatographic resin compri
sed of a solution of tyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphin
e oxide in tri-n-butyl phosphate supported on an inert polymeric subst
rate is described. Actinide sorption is demonstrated to be most effici
ent at high ( > 1 M) nitric acid concentrations, although tetra- and h
exavalent actinides are strongly retained even from dilute (e.g., 0.05
M) nitric acid solutions. Macro concentrations of several common anio
ns (e.g., PO43- and SO42-) or complexing agents (e.g., oxalic acid) ar
e shown not to adversely affect the sorption of trivalent actinides, w
hile reducing the sorption of tetravalents. Such effects, together wit
h oxidation state adjustments, are shown to provide a basis for the se
quential elution of individual actinides and for actinide isolation fr
om environmental and biological matrices.