THE IMPORTANCE OF SEPARATION CHEMISTRY FOR THE DETERMINATION OF RADIONUCLIDES IN ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLES

Separation chemistry plays an important role when alpha-and beta-emitt ing natural and artificial radionuclides at low levels must be determi ned in complex environmental matrices. This paper describes some separ ation techniques used in radioecology, with special emphasis on extrac tion chromatography. The very high necessary decontamination factors a re pointed out together with the suggested techniques. The following e xamples are given: (a) determination of Sr-90 in soils in the presence of high concentration of Bi-210; (b) determination of cosmogenic P-32 in sea water and its decontamination from Th-234; (c) determination o f Ni-63 and Ni-59 in liquid effluents; (d) separation techniques used for the speciation of plutonium in sea sediments and (e) plutonium and Am-241 concentration and vertical distribution in mosses.