SPECTROCHEMICAL DETERMINATION OF TRACES OF IMPURITY ELEMENTS IN PLUTONIUM BY THE COPPER SPARK METHOD PRECISION AND LIMITATIONS

摘要

The copper spark method, in a form which, with the exception of some procedural details, was proposed in 1947 by N. H. Nachtrieb and coworkers, has been used for the spectrochemical determination of impurity elements in samples containing plutonium. The instrumentation, equipment and procedure used in these determinations are described. Blank values for the whole procedure have been determined as a matter of routine, and steps taken to reduce their size are described. The precision and limits of detection of the method in quantitative determination of several trace elements have been evaluated. Large amounts of impurities and ion-exchange decomposition products in the sample solution result in decreased precision and high limits of detection.