Affiliation:
1. Radioanalytical Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 085, India
2. Radiochemistry and Isotope Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400 085, India
Abstract
Abstract
Identification of various soluble organic acids formed during the pyrohydrolysis of uranium-plutonium mixed carbide [(U,Pu)C] was
carried out using ion chromatography. This has significant importance as the soluble organic acids can cause severe interferences
during the ion chromatography separation and determination of Cl− and F− in the pyrohydrolysis distillate of
(U,Pu)C. Determination of Cl and F is important in the chemical quality control of nuclear materials as these two elements can cause
corrosion and hence, their concentrations in all nuclear materials are restricted to certain specified values. Since the pyrohydrolysis
distillates contain both inorganic and organic acid anions, for the sake of separating and identifying organic acid anions from the
common inorganic anions, three independent isocratic elutions using varying concentrations of NaOH eluent were employed for the
separation of weakly, moderately and strongly retained anions. It was observed that pyrohydrolysis of (U,Pu)C also produced soluble
organic acids as in the case of nitric acid dissolution of UC. The present investigation revealed the presence of formic, acetic,
propionic, butyric, oxalic acid anions in the pyrohydrolysis distillate of (U,Pu)C in trace or ultra-trace concentrations. The presence
of each organic acid identified in the chromatogram was confirmed with spike addition as well as by separating them by capillary
electrophoresis method. The presence of lower aliphatic acids viz. formic and acetic acids was reconfirmed by carrying out an
independent separation with tetraborate eluent. It is suggested that nitric acid being formed during pyrohydrolysis could be
responsible for the formation of organic acids. Based on the findings, an ion chromatography separation method has been proposed for
the interference-free determination of chloride and fluoride in pyrohydrolysis distillate of (U,Pu)C.
Subject
Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Cited by
12 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献