Development of high-performance liquid chromatographic methods for measuring tetraphenylborate decomposition products in radioactive alkaline solutions

Sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) is used at the Savannah River Site to prec ipitate and remove the gamma-emitting radionuclide Cs-137 from alkaline hig h-level, waste. The concentrations of NaTPB degradation products such as tr iphenylborane, diphenylborinic acid, phenylboronic acid, and phenol indicat e the rate of decomposition of TPB in storage tanks prior to processing. A simple and speedy sample preparation protocol and two reverse-phase HPLC me thods were developed to monitor the concentrations of TPB and all the decom position products in a complex matrix mainly consisting of 5 M sodium salts and 0.5 M aluminate. Approximately 4000 radioactive and nonradioactive sam ples per year have been analyzed since the methods were implemented. (C) 19 98 WSRC. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.