Abstract

A method is described for the rapid determination of small concentrations of thorium. The thorium is first concentrated on a suitable cation exchange resin and then measured directly on an x-ray spectrograph. With the experimental conditions employed it is shown that the extraction of thorium is practically quantitative. Both column and batch extraction methods were investigated, and it is shown that the latter technique is superior both as regards reproducibility and time of analysis. It is further shown how interference effects due to co-adsorbed elements, such as iron, can be overcome by the use of a suitable internal standard. From calibration curves so obtained the thorium concentration in three unknown samples was determined, and the results are compared with those obtained by chemical analysis.

X-ray spectrograph design

Michael P. Chrisp
Appl. Opt. 22(10) 1519-1529 (1983)

An X-Ray Spectrograph

John T. Norton
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 13(2) 231-233 (1926)

Determination of thorium and uranium in solution by laser-induced breakdown spectrometry

Arnab Sarkar, Devanathan Alamelu, and Suresh Kumar Aggarwal
Appl. Opt. 47(31) G58-G64 (2008)

X-ray spectrographs using radial groove gratings

Webster C. Cash
Appl. Opt. 22(24) 3971-3976 (1983)

Ray-tracing the convex curved crystal x-ray spectrograph

Sidney O. Kastner
Appl. Opt. 18(3) 374-377 (1979)