1987•Sov. Radiochem. (Engl. Transl.); (United States)Requires access
Ion-exchange chromatographic separation of einsteinium from irradiated californium targets
A.A. Elesin, V. M. Nikolaev, V.V. Shalimov, Yu.S. Popov, V.N. Kovantsev, I. V. Tselishchev, V.T. Filimonov, V.B. Mishenev, A.A. Yadovin, L.S. Golosovskii, A. P. Chetverikov
Open publisher page 0 citations
Abstract
Einsteinium was obtained by preparing two experimental californium targets and subjecting them to neutron irradiation in a high-flux reactor. The einsteinium was separated from the bombarded targets on a column packed with KU-2U sulfonated cation-exchange resin (20-50 ..mu..m) and eluted at room temperature with an ammonium ..cap alpha..-hydroxyisobutyrate solution. Three successive separation cycles removed californium to produce einsteinium in 68% yield with a decontamination factor of 5.3 x 10/sup 6/. About 20% of the einsteinium was used up by analysis and 11% remained in intermediate fractions. The method developed yielded pure einsteinium with little fission products present. The contribution of the fission products to the total einsteinium gamma-irradiation dose rate was no greater than 81%, due primarily to the radioisotope terbium-160.