Separation of 137mBa from 137Cs using new ion exchanger Na2(H2O)4(H3O)[Al(OH)6Mo6O18]

Abstract

A new polyoxometalate of chemical formula, Na2(H2O)4(H3O)[Al(OH)6Mo6O18] (1) containing Anderson type large anion has been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray structure determination and IR spectroscopic studies. The crystal of 1 is triclinic, spacegroup P−1 with cell dimensions, a = 6.365(9)Å, b = 10.37(1)Å, c = 10.44(1)Å and α = 65.41(1), β = 77.18(1), γ = 86.58(1) and Z = 1. The compound 1 behaves as an ion exchanger and is stable in thermal, radiation and chemical environments. Radiochemical separation of the short-lived daughter 137mBa (t 1/2 = 2.50 min) from its long-lived parent 137Cs using this newly designed and synthesized ion exchanger has been developed.