Application of Extraction Chromatography in the Processing of Irradiated Americium

Abstract

During the processing of 2,5 grams of highly irradiated americium extraction chromatography with dilute hydrochloric acid from columns loaded with di-2 ethylhexyl orthophosphoric acid has been successfully used for the isolation and purification of weighable amounts of berkelium and californium. The procedures, the separations obtained and the column performance are discussed. It has also been shown that the application of extraction chromatography may lead to very simple flow schemes for the processing of irradiated americium, avoiding the use of lithium chloride columns.

Actinides Removal by Means of Octyl(Phenyl)-N,N-Diisobutyl Carbamoyl Methyl Phosphine Oxide (CMPO) Sorbed on Silica

“…Different solid supports has been investigated and finally silica has been chosen because its structure is well known and no significant effect of radiation damage is reported elsewhere 5 ; moreover silica is stable both in acidic and alkaline medium 6 • If compared with tested materials, Si0 2 shows more compatibility in terms of filled CMPO.…”

Rapid Ion Exchange Separations. Chromategraphic Lanthanide Separations Using a High-Pressure Ion Exchange Method

“…matography utilizing cation exchange resin and an anionic complexing agent Ferguson et al, 1964;Fuger, 1958Fuger, , 1961Smith and Hoffman, 1956;Thompson et al, 1954), anion exchange resin and a concentrated salt solution (Adar et al, 1963; Kraak and Van Der Heijden, 1966;Marcus and Nelson, 1959; Marcus et al, 1963), or, in some cases, extraction chromatography (Cerrai, 1964;Horwitz et al, 1966; Kooi, 1966). Good separations of the metals are readily achieved at tracer levels; however, problems are encountered when the procedures are applied to macro amounts,of material, especially materials with high radioactivity levels, such as are encountered in the large scale separation of "Cm from 241Am, and the purification of californium and the heavier elements (Ferguson et al, 1964(Ferguson et al, , 1965(Ferguson et al, , 1966.…”

Separation of californium from curium and berkelium from cerium by extraction chromatography

“…By performing elutions at 87°C and flow rates of one drop per 45 seconds, he successfully separated fractions containing americium-curium, berkelium, and californium. He has proposed the method for application in transplutonium element processing (13).…”