Determination of uranium in the presence of iron and plutonium by Ti(III) reduction and biamperometric titration

A method is described for the determination of uranium in the presence of iron and plutonium. Ti(III) is used as the reductant in a mixture of H2SO4 and HNO3. Fe(II) and Pu(III) are selectively oxidized by the nitrous acid generated in the reaction between Ti(III) and HNO3. The U(IV) is determined by titration with K2Cr2O7 using biamperometry to detect the end point. The method is applicable to a variety of nuclear materials encountered at different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle and has no bias. The precision of the method is evaluated at different levels from 100 microgram to 100 milligram. The method is simple, rapid and convenient. (author) 4 refs.; 1 fig.; 2 tabs