Sequential separation of ultra-trace U, Th, Pb, and lanthanides using a simple automatic system

Miyamoto, Yutaka   ; Yasuda, Kenichiro   ; Magara, Masaaki  

Uranium, Thorium, lead, and the lanthanides were automatically and sequentially separated with a single anion-exchange column. This separation was achieved using eluents consisting of simple and highly pure acid mixture of HCl, HNO, acetic acid, and HF. This simple, automatic system is driven with pressurized nitrogen gas, and controlled by a computer program. For an evaluation examination, a reference powdered rock sample was separated by using this system. Abundances of objective elements, including 0.23 ng of lutetium, were accurately determined without corrections of chemical recovery yield or subtraction of processing blank. This separation technique saves time and effort for chemical processing, and it is useful for ultra-trace quantitative and isotopic analyses of elements in small environmental samples.