Sealed-Tube Dissolution Method with Applications to Plutonium-Containing Materials

摘要

Experience with a previously known technique for dissolving highly refractory materials is described. This technique, which seems to have been overlooked by most laboratories, has been found to have wide application. It consists of sealing the sample with hydrochloric acid and an oxidant in a heavy-walled silica tube and heating to a suitable tem-perature, usually between 100 and 350° C. The sealed silica tube is first placed in a steel shell to which solid carbon dioxide is added to compen-sate for the high internal pressure generated in the tube. Application of this dissolution method to refractory plutonium-containing materials is described in detail.