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Identification and characterization of resistate minerals containing uranium and thorium

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Abstract

A set of natural matrix Standard Reference Materials were developed by the National Bureau of Standards for analytical methods evaluation. These materials were analyzed using a KF fusion procedure and an acid dissolution procedure. The latter method yielded radioactive concentrations that were 15–20% lower then that of the former. This was thought to be due to a fraction of the sample, “resistates,” that did not dissolve during the dissolution. In this study, HF dissolutions were conducted on NIST natural matrix SRMs, in which ~0.08% of total sample mass remained after dissolution. The acid resistant residual materials were concentrated, then dissolved using a LiBO2 fusion procedure and were found to contain a considerable fraction of the uranium and thorium.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Matt O’Hara for his help and contributions regarding the dissolution of Zircon minerals, PNNL Labs, Ms. Svetlana Nour for her encouragement and assistance in the lab, Physics Laboratory, NIST, and Dr. Iisa Outola for her support during the sample digestion process, Physics Laboratory, NIST.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ionizing Radiation Division, Physics Department, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8462-245, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA

    Payam Motabar, Kenneth G. W. Inn & Jerome LaRosa

  2. Surface and Microanalysis Science Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8462-245, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA

    Jeff Davis

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  1. Payam Motabar
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  2. Kenneth G. W. Inn
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  3. Jeff Davis
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  4. Jerome LaRosa
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Correspondence to Kenneth G. W. Inn.

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Motabar, P., Inn, K.G.W., Davis, J. et al. Identification and characterization of resistate minerals containing uranium and thorium. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 282, 335–341 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-009-0329-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-009-0329-7

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