“…The order of elution of the rare earth metal ions with a citrate buffer of pH 3.28 is Lu3+ to Sm3+ in the inverse order of atomic numbers (273). a-Hydroxyisobutyric (87,351,512), glycolic (547), and lactic (157,626) acids have also been investigated. The separation factors for -hydroxyisobutyric acid are comparable to those of ethylenediamine-, , ', 'tetraacetate, and this eluting agent may be superior to the latter as a consequence of better flow rates and solubility characteristics (87).…”