The determination of uranium isotopes by atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Abstract

The uranium isotopes, 235U and 238U, can be determined easily by atomic absorption techniques, employing relatively inexpensive and unsophisticated equipment. A water-cooled hollow-cathode discharge tube was used as an absorption tube. It was found that large amounts of uranium atoms, in the ground state, were produced by the discharge in the tube. Thus the inherently weak uranium resonance radiation coming from. an emission source and passing through the absorption tube was absorbed. For the first time in an atomic absorption technique, samples and related standards were used in the emission source instead of an absorption source, and a high degree of accuracy and precision was obtained. Valid results were also obtained by conventional techniques — that is, the samples and related standards were employed in the absorption source.