History and current research in the field of radiochemistry at Maria Curie-Sk?odowska University

摘要

History and current research in the field of radiochemistry at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University is presented. In the Department of Radiochemistry and Colloid Chemistry investigations are carried out which are a continuation of the research done by Maria Curie, who after 1918 concentrated intensively on radiochemistry, that is, the chemistry of the radioactive elements: polonium, actinium, radium, and thorium isotopes. Intensive development of radiochemical methods of analysis and determination of radionuclides in the environment proceeded after the Chernobyl disaster, which took place in 1986. Plutonium determination in the environmental sample requires radiochemical treatment of the sample. The best method for this purpose is solvent extraction. Plutonium can be extracted from a matrix consisting of nonradioactive substances and, which is especially important, from radioactive uranium and thorium.