DETERMINATION OF HAFNIUM IN ZIRCONIUM DIOXIDE USING INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETRY (ICP-MS)

HUYNH VAN TRUNG1, NGUYEN XUAN CHIEN1, LE HONG MINH1, DANG DUC NHAN1
1 Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements 48 Lang Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi

Main Article Content

Abstract

A method for determination of hafnium (Hf) in zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is proposed. The method involves the decomposition of ZrO2 sample, the chemical separation of Hf from zirconium (Zr) matrix by ion-exchange chromatography with sulfuric acid as a medium of sample solution and an eluent as well. The methods are suitable for analysis of Hf impurity in ZrO2 of nuclear grade. The procedure was well applied for determination of Hf in ZrO2 product of the Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements (ITRRE), VINATOM.

Article Details

References

[1] C1066-97 “Standard Specification for Nuclear Grade Zirconium Oxide Pellets”.
[2] C1065 “Specification for Nuclear-Grade Zirconium Oxide Powder”.
[3] Anil K. Mukherji, “Analytical chemistry of zirconium and hafnium”, Pergamon Press, 1970.
[4] Patricio Peralta-Zamora, Lorena Cornejo-Ponce, Maria Izabel Maretti S. Bueno, Jose Walter Martins, “Zirconium and hafnium determination by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence with solid phase preconcentration”, Talanta, vol. 44, 811- 816.
[5] Al- Jobori M., “Determination of impurities in zircalloy clad by means of neutron activation analysis”, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 1988, vol. 120.
[6] Jarvis, K. E.; A. L. Gray; and R. S. Houk., “Handbook of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry”, Chapman and Hall: New York, 1992.
[7] Taghizadeh M., Ghasemzadeh R., Ashrafizadeh S.N., Saberyan K., Ghanadi Maragheh M., “Determination of optimum process conditions for the extraction and separation of zirconium and hafnium by solvent extraction”, Hydrometallurgy, vol. 90, 2008, 115–120.
[8] Dasilva A., El-ammouri E., Distin P.A., “Hafnium/zirconium separation using Cyanex 925”, Can. Metall. Q. 39, 2000,37–42.
[9] Strelow F.W.E. and Bothma C.J.C., “Anion exchange and a selectivity scale for elements in sulfuric acid media with a strongly basic resin”, Anal. Chem., vol. 39, 1967, 595-599.