ABSTRACT
A method based on the pyrohydrolysis extraction of boron and its quantification with ion chromatography was proposed for paraffin waxes borated with H3BO3 and B4C. The optimum pyrohydrolysis conditions were identified. Wax samples were mixed with U3O8, which prevents the sample from flare up, and also accelerates the extraction of boron. Pyrohydrolysis was carried out with moist O2 at 950°C for 60 and 90 min for wax with H3BO3 and wax with B4C, respectively. Two simple methods of separation based on alkali extraction and melting wax in alkali were also developed exclusively for wax with H3BO3. In all the separations, the recovery of B was above 98%. During IC separation, B was separated as boron-mannitol anion complex. Linear calibration was obtained it between 0.1 and 50 ppm of B, and LOD was calculated as 5 ppb (S/N = 3). The reproducibility was better than 5% (RSD).
ABSTRACT
The retention behavior of U and Th as their 2,6-pyridine dicarboxylic acid (PDCA) complexes on a cation exchange column was investigated under low pH conditions. Based on the observed retention characteristics, an ion chromatographic method for the rapid separation of uranium and thorium in isocratic elution mode using 0.08 mM PDCA and 0.24 M KNO(3) in 0.22 M HNO(3) as the eluent was developed. Both uranium and thorium were eluted as their PDCA complexes within 2 min, whereas the transition and lanthanide metal cations were eluted as an unresolved broad peak after thorium. Under the optimized conditions both U and Th have no interference either from alkali and alkaline earth elements up to a concentration ratio of 1:500 or from other elements up to 1:100. The detection limits (LOD) of U and Th were calculated as 0.04 and 0.06 ppm, respectively (S/N=3). The precision in the measurement of peak area of 0.5 ppm of both U and Th was better than 5% and a linear calibration in the concentration range of 0.25-25 ppm of U and Th was obtained. The method was successfully applied to determine U and Th in effluent water samples.
