Cloud Point Extraction of Plutonium in Environmental Matrixes Coupled to ICPMS and α Spectrometry in Highly Acidic Conditions

Abstract

A new cloud point extraction procedure has been developed for the quantification of plutonium(IV) in environmental samples. The separation procedure can be either coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) or α spectrometry for plutonium quantification. The method uses a combination of selective ligand (P,P'-di(2-ethylhexyl) methanediphosphonic acid (H2DEH[MDP])) and micelle shielding by bromine formation to enable quantitative extraction of Pu in highly acidic solutions. Cross-optimization of all parameters (nonionic and ionic surfactant, chelating agent, bromate, bromide, and pH) led to optimal of the extraction conditions. Figures of merit of the method for the detection using α spectrometry and ICPMS are reported (limit of detection, limit of quantification, minimal detectable activity, and recovery). Quantitative extractions (>95%) were obtained for a wide variety of aqueous and digested samples (synthetic urine, wastewater, drinking water, seawater, and soil samples). The method features the first successful coupling between α spectrometry and cloud point extraction and is the first demonstration of CPE suitability with metaborate fusion as a sample preparation approach, techniques used extensively in nuclear industries.

Alpha-particle spectrometry for the determination of alpha emitting isotopes in nuclear, environmental and biological samples: past, present and future

“…[41][42][43][44]149,150 The development of green solvents and novel methodologies like cloud point extraction which reduce the amounts of radioactive waste is urgently warranted. 151 Intensive research is going on at various laboratories to satisfy these urgent requirements. Inductively coupled plasma sources used in solution based ICPMS can be investigated to prepare thin, homogeneous and quantitative sources.…”

Quantification of rare earth elements using cloud point extraction with diglycolamide and ICP-MS for environmental analysis

“…Labrecque et al recently demonstrated the use of bromate as an agent to induce the extraction of plutonium at highly acidic pH values. 33 Bromate, in the presence of an excess of bromide, comproportionates to form bromine, which efficiently shields the micelles from the disrupting effect of high-solids matrices in highly acidic conditions. The bromine formed has a tendency to stay at the water-micelle interface, due to its high polarisability.…”

Determination of total selenium in food samples by d-CPE and HG-AFS

“…Above the CPT, the micellar solution separates into two phases: a small volume surfactant-rich phase that contains the analyte, and an aqueous phase containing a low concentration of surfactant. To date, CPE has been widely applied to the extraction of trace metal ions from various matrices through the formation and pre-concentration of chelates (Labrecque, Whitty-Leveille, & Lariviere, 2013;Silva, Roldan Pdos, & Gine, 2009;Ulusoy, Akcay, Ulusoy, & Gurkan, 2011). There are several reports of CPE as a pre-concentration step for the determination of Se by different spectrometric techniques, including spectrophotometry (Soruraddin, Heydari, Puladvand, & Zahedi, 2011;Wen, Zhang, Li, Fang, & Zhang, 2014), spectrofluorimetry (Güler, Maden, Bakırdere, Yavuz Ataman, & Volkan, 2011), graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry(GF-AAS) (Sun, Liu, & Wu, 2013), electrothermal atomic absorption(ET-AAS) (Ghambarian,Yamini,Saleh,Shariati,& Yazdanfar,3 2009; Li, Hu, He, & Xiang, 2008;Sounderajan, Kumar, & Udas, 2010) and electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ETV-ICPMS) (Chen, Hu, & He, 2006;Li et al, 2008).…”