Fluorometric determination of uranium in natural waters

Duplicate 200-μl aliquots of the water samples, as received, are transferred by means of Eppendorf pipettors onto 0.4-g pellets of 2 percent LiF-98 percent NaF flux, contained in platinum dishes. The pellets are dried under heat lamps; then fused over special propane burners. The fused pellets are transferred to a Galvanek-Morrison fluorometer, where they are excited with ultraviolet radiation and the fluorescence is measured. The uranium is calculated by comparing the measured fluorescence with that of other pellets, carried through the same procedure, which contain aliquots of standard uranium solutions. The sensitivity of the method is about 0.2 ppB of uranium, and the precision is approximately 15 relative percent in the 0.2- to 10-ppB uranium concentration range