APPENDIX B
PARTIAL FRACTIONATION OF FALLOUT
COMPONENTS BY CATION EXCHANGE
Bel
EXCHANGE COLUMN PROCEDURE
An ion exchange procedure was utilized to separate the Na<4
activity Crom the fallout samples. The procedure was developed at the
site after Shot 1 when it became evident that the fallout samples were
smaller than anticipated. It was designed for utilizing small samples
of fallout combining the Na and I analyses. The ion exchanze column
consisted of 50 to 65 mesh Dowex 50 in a 80-mm i.d. class tube 15 em
long. Washing and eluting solutions were fed into the column from a
constant-head nolyethylene bottle through polyethylene tubing; after
passing through the column, the solution was carried below a GM tube
by 1.5 mm i.d. thin-walled polyethylene tubing and into a collecting
beaker. The tubing was threaded through two small holes drilled into
a@ lead shiel¢c which held the Ghi tube, The radioactivity passing beneath
the counting tube was recorded on an Esterline-anrus recorder through a
General Radio Co, Model 1500-3 rate meter.
After acidifying the samples with a minimum amount of HCl (usually
to a pH of 5), the samples were adsorbed on the top of the column to-
gether with a measured amount of Ne carrier, The column was then washed
by eluting with de-ionized water, The water elution carried out anions
and some colloidal materials, When the eluted wash water activity coun-
ted background, the column was eluted with 0.5N-HC1,
was detected by means of a Pt ire flame test.
The Na breakthrough
Cecasionally, after no
Na was detected, other eluting 1vacents were used for further elutions.
Sampling beakers were changed at the desired points, the volume of
sarplo measured, and an aliquot was taken for counting. Gamma decay
and spectral measurements were taken on the various fractions.
Be2
RESULTS
One elution is given by the chromatogram in Fig.
B.1.
The
circled letters or numbers are the eluted fractions which were noted on
139