Improving the separation of strontium and barium with Sr Resin using chelating eluent solutions

• Published in: Journal of radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry Vol. 319; no. 3; pp. 1185 - 1192
• Main Authors: Surrao, Alicia, Smith, Skyler W., Foerster, Emma, Spitz, Henry B., Graczyk, Donald G., Landero-Figueroa, Julio A., McLain, Derek R., Connick, William B., Steeb, Jennifer L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-03-2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES; 137Ba; 137Cs; 90Sr; age dating; Barium; Cesium 137; Cesium isotopes; Chelating agents; Chelating resins; Chelation; Chemical separation; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chronology; Diagnostic Radiology; EDTA; Eluents; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acids; extraction chromatography; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Inorganic Chemistry; INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; Isotope ratios; Linearity; Nonferrous metals; Nuclear Chemistry; nuclear forensics; Nuclear isobars; Nuclear Physics; Organic chemistry; Physical Chemistry; Radiation (Physics); radiation dispersal devices; Radiometric dating; Strontium; Strontium 90; Technology; Uncertainty; Zirconium; Zirconium isotopes; Cs; Age dating; Nuclear forensics; EDTA; Extraction chromatography; Ba; Sr; Radiation dispersal devices
• ISSN: 0236-5731; 1588-2780
• DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06432-w

Age dating radioactive
137
Cs and
90
Sr sources, which are a potential concern in radiation dispersal devices, can provide evidence for attribution in a nuclear forensic investigation. Precise measurement of the
137
Cs–
137
Ba or
90
Sr–
90
Zr isotope ratio by ICP-MS in tandem with non-linearity and mass-bias data manipulation dramatically increases precision and decreases uncertainty, leaving inadequate chemical separation efficiencies as a major contributor—and in some cases the lead contributor—to uncertainty in age determination. To improve the separation of these isobars before ICP-MS analysis, we evaluated eluents containing EDTA and DTPA chelating agents against previously studied eluents for their ability to achieve complete removal of Sr and Ba from Eichrom Technologies’ Sr Resin. Barium separation efficiencies using 0.05 M EDTA, pH-adjusted 0.05 M EDTA, and pH-adjusted 0.05 M DTPA were found to be 100.9 ± 2.2%, 99.4 ± 0.8%, and 99.3 ± 1.2%, respectively. Strontium separation efficiencies using 0.05 M disodium EDTA and 0.05 M potassium EDTA were determined to be 100.14 ± 0.53% and 100.19 ± 0.97% respectively. These results demonstrate that eluents containing chelating agents out-perform previously studied eluent solutions at removing barium and strontium from Sr Resin.