A Radioanalytical Method for Samarium-151 and Promethium-147in Environmental Samples

Sumiya, Shuichi ; Hayashi, Naomi; not registered; Narita, Osamu

A radioanalytical method for low level samarium-151(Sm-151) and promethium-147(Pm-147) in environmental samples has been studied for the environmental assessment around nuclear facilities. In this study, we use the separation method with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine Sm-151 and Pm-147 in environmental samples such as sea sediments and marine organisms. Samarium-151 and Pm-147 in environmental samples are coprecipitated with other lanthanoids after adding neodymium(Nd). These nuclides are purified by anion exchange methods in methanol-mineral acid media. After the purification, Sm-151 and Pm-147 are separated with HPLC in lactic acid-sodium hydroxide media, and determined with liquid scintillation counting, respectively. The Nd is determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) to correct chemical recoveries of these nuclides. The detection limits for Sm-151 and Pm-147 in this method are about 0.01Bq/sample.