Separation of Gram-amounts of Lanthanides by Cation Exchange, using an aqueous Solution of α-Hydroxyisobutyric Acid as an Eluant. RCN Report

This report describes a procedure developed for the mutual separation of gram quantities of the lanthanides present in solutions of thermal fission products. A second aim was the purification of ''crude'' ¹⁴⁷Pm-sources. The method is based on column chromatography on Dowex - 50 W (50 - 100 mesh) with an aqueous solution of a-hydroxyisobutyric acid (AHIB) as an eluant. Due to the radioactivity of the samples, the process has to be performed in a shielded glove-box. Consequently, a considerably economy was exercised with respect to the volume of the apparatus. The process was successfully tested with labeled artificial mixtures of 20 grammes of the rare earths involved. The method has been applied to the purification of batches of ''crude'' ¹⁴⁷Pm. (author)