An automated solvent-extraction technique for radiochemical group separations: application to the analysis of glass fragments by thermal-neutron activation

Abstract

An apparatus suitable for automated radiochemical group separation by a solvent-extraction technique is described, together with a scheme applicable to the determination of twenty-five elements in milligram samples of glass by thermal-neutron activation analysis. The separation scheme involves sequential extraction of five groups of trace elements from a perchloric acid solution of the glass by selective complexing with thenoyltrifluoroacetone, diethylammonium diethyldithiocarbamate and tributyl phosphate, under controlled pH conditions, individual γ-ray spectra being resolved by a least squares fitting programme. A precision of 7 per cent., or better, can be achieved for twelve elements, and results for a variety of window-glass samples of different origin are presented to illustrate the possible forensic applications.