Two-dimensional electrochromatography of 106ruthenium and some other radiomicroconstituents in sea water.

Abstract

Abstract Two-dimensional electrochromatography on filter paper sheets and filter paper sheets loaded with ion-exchange resins, of 106 Ru and some other microconstituents using sea water as a background electrolyte are described. The results are developed by radioautography on an X-ray film. Some of the microconstituents, 51 Cr as chromate, 22 Na, 54 Mn, 56,57,58 Co, 90 Sr, 65 Zn and 90 Y, showed no, or a slight, adsorption on filter paper and each of them gave one single mobile fraction. The others were strongly adsorbed on filter paper at the starting point, as 51 Cr, 59 Fe, 95 Nb, 95 Zr, 144 Ce, 147 Pm and 181 Hf, presumably because of the formation of strongly adsorbable hydrolytic species or particle formation. Samples of 106 Ru from Amersham in chloride form (original in 8 M HCl), and in nitrate from (original in 8 M HNO 3 ), were used after a preliminary treatment. Experimental evidence shows that, in sea water, 106 Ru behaves very differently, depending on the form of the original sample (chloride or nitrate form). The two-dimensional electrochromatography of 106 Ru in sea water showed a relatively large number of well-defined species which could be readily classified into anionic, cationic, electroneutral, particulate, non-adsorbable and more or less adsorbable species on filter paper. Although anionic fractions, as expected, were strongly adsorbed on anion ion-exchange paper (Dowex 2-X8), cationic fractions of ruthenium in chloride form were not adsorbed on cation ion-exchange filter paper (Dowex 50). The same experiments were also performed starting from RuO 4 , which was obtained by a distillation method. The fate of RuO 4 and soluble species resulting from decomposition of the tetroxide in HCl and HNO 3 solutions and in sea water, was studied.