LIQUID-LIQUID-EXTRACTION OF TRACE-LEVEL ZIRCONIUM AND HAFNIUM WITH TRIOCYTLAMINE

Extraction behavior of zirconium and hafnium tracers, Zr-95 and Hf-175 , Hf-181 in HF, HCl, HNO3 and H2SO4 media with the liquid anion exchan ger TOA has been studied. Under optimum conditions, TOA was found to b e very effective for quantitative extraction of the individual element s at their trace scale concentrations, but due to higher extractibilit y and almost identical chemical behavior of the radiotracers towards T OA, the reagent was not so effective for mutual separation of the elem ents when they were present as congeneric pairs in the aqueous solutio ns. Extents of extraction of the elements at different stages were mea sured by gamma-ray spectrometry.