Automated radiochemistry

摘要

Some radioassays can be very time consuming, as diverse techniques have to be employed to differentiate a range of radionuclides in complex environmental matrices. High energy gamma-emitting radionuclides (for example, Cs-137 and Co-60) can be detected directly in the sample but other common radionuclides (for example, Sr-90 and some isotopes of uranium and plutonium) need chemical separation from the sample and purification before measurement. This can take several days of bench chemistry, requiring highly skilled staff.