The Electrolytic Method Applied to Uranium.

Abstract

THE purpose of the present communication is to call attention to the conditions under which uranium can be quantitatively determined in the electrolytic way in solutions of the acetate, the sulphate, and the nitrate, and also to record several separations of uranium by the same means from other metals. It is not necessary to comment further upon the form in which the uranium is precipitated or upon the way in which the deposit is subsequently treated in order to weigh it, as those points have

Determination of Uranium and Beryllium in Fused Fluoride Systems

“…Consistent quantitative determinations of uranium were obtained in the present work with the ammonium acetate solution buffered at a pH value of 4.0. This is contrary to most of the published reports (2,3,5,7) which advocate a pH value of 5 to 7 in order to obtain quantitative results. Electroplating at this lower pH value was compulsory because beryllium hydroxide, accompanied by some uranium, begins to precipitate from a hot solution at a pH of about 4.6 to 4.8.…”

“…The scintillation spectrometer employed consisted of a 3 X 3 inch sodium iodide crystal with associated electronic equipment including a 20-channel analyzer. From the spectra of the separated uranium-237, similar to that reported previously (5), the maximum disintegration rates of several fission products were estimated. These disintegration rates were compared with the radiochemical analyses of the samples and the minimum decontamination factors (Table II) -were calculated.…”

“…In 1880, uranium was reported to be quantitatively electroplated on platinum in a hot ammonium acetate solution (7). Kollock and Smith (5), in 1901, described the electrolytic separation of uranium from the alkaline earth elements, barium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. In spite of the excellent results reported in the early part of the century, additional data on the electrodeposition of uranium have been very scanty during the past 50 years (2,3).…”