A new method for separation and purification of beryllium and aluminium

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Date
2011-03-24
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
GNS Science
Abstract
The DIPEX® resin manufactured by Eichrom was originally developed for the separation and preconcentration of actinides from nuclear industry waste streams and digested environmental samples. The resin has in recent years been investigated for use in separation of beryllium from a wide range of other elements which interfere with the determination of beryllium by ICP-AES. Application of this resin to purification of beryllium from environmental samples for analysis by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) may allow for simplified sample processing in a single step and reduced interferences. AMS measurements of the cosmogenic isotope 10Be however are susceptible to a different selection of interfering elements than those which affect ICP-AES measurements. 10Be measurements are most commonly performed on melted ice and purified quartz. Both these sample types are generally low in elemental impurities such as magnesium, calcium, aluminium, titanium and iron with concentrations typically no more than a few hundred ppm in purified quartz and only a few ppm in ice however potential interferences still exist that must be removed prior to analysis. Two of the most significant interfering elements are boron and titanium. The isobar 10B, if sufficiently abundant, interferes with 10Be measurements by increasing the measurement background. Titanium has a retarding effect on caesium sputter ionisation and so on ion source output. The DIPEX resin has been evaluated as a single column purification and separation method for preparation of samples for AMS analysis. In this paper we present data on this evaluation including: • Evaluation of the resin capacity and selectivity for aluminium in a simulated matrix representing digested quartz and melted ice • Evaluation of the selectivity of the resin for beryllium in a simulated matrix representing digested quartz and melted ice • Assessment of the resin’s capacity to separate interfering matrix elements from the beryllium fraction.Copyright (c) 2011 AMS12
Description
Keywords
Beryllium, Aluminium, Resins, Purification, Actinides, Accelerators, Mass spectrometers
Citation
Child, D., Simon, K., (2011). A new method for separation and purification of beryllium and aluminium. Presentation to the 12th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS 12), 20th - 25th March 2011. Museum of New Zealand: Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand.