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Development of a simple spectrophotometric method to estimate uranium concentration in LiCl–KCl matrix

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Abstract

A fast, precise and simple spectrophotometric method was developed for the estimation of uranium in LiCl–KCl salt matrix using phosphoric acid as a complexing agent. The 421 nm absorbance peak of uranium was found to be spectral interference free and area of this peak was used for the quantitative analysis. Linearity over 100–7000 ppm with a detection limit of 25 ppm of uranium in 10% LiCl–KCl matrix was obtained by this method. The present method was successfully applied for the quantitative estimation of uranium in synthetic salt mixtures and the results were found to be more accurate than the values measured by ICP-OES.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Mrs. S. Annapoorani, Materials Chemistry Division, IGCAR for ICP-OES analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Chemistry Division, Materials Chemistry and Metal Fuel Cycle Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India

    Satendra Kumar, S. Maji, K. Sundararajan & K. Sankaran

  2. Homi Bhabha National Institute, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India

    K. Sundararajan & K. Sankaran

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  1. Satendra Kumar
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  2. S. Maji
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  3. K. Sundararajan
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  4. K. Sankaran
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Correspondence to K. Sankaran.

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Kumar, S., Maji, S., Sundararajan, K. et al. Development of a simple spectrophotometric method to estimate uranium concentration in LiCl–KCl matrix. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 320, 337–343 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06471-3

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