A study of iodine loss during the preparation and analysis of samples using I-131 tracer and neutron-activation analysis

摘要

The recoveries of various species of iodine, such as I-, IO3- and organic iodine, in the procedures of acid digestion, ashing, freeze-drying, evaporation drying and neutron irradiation were studied using I-131 tracer and instrumental neutron activation analysis. The recoveries of iodine were over 99% after drying at room temperature and 60-80 degrees C for various iodine species in all kinds of media. The organic iodine in various media, I- and IO3- in biological materials and IO3- in alkaline solution were not lost after freeze-drying, whereas I- in aqueous solution and IO3- in acidic and neutral solution were significantly lost. The recoveries of iodine were different under various acid digestion conditions. Under the optimum conditions, more than 96% of iodine remained in the digestion solution. With ashing, the recovery of iodine was less than 2%. Addition of alkali to the samples can significantly improve the iodine recovery, but the ashing is incomplete in this case. Only 90% of iodine was recovered using alkali ashing at 650 degrees C. Neutron irradiation did not cause any loss of iodine. [References: 16]