Fast analysis method of strontium-90 after separation using crown ether resin

Objective

To explore the separation condition for ⁹⁰Sr using crown ether resin, in order to establish a fast method for analysis of ⁹⁰Sr in food and environmental samples.

Methods

Stable strontium isotope (⁸⁸Sr) was used to simulate the radioactive ⁹⁰Sr, and the concentration of ⁸⁸Sr in elution solution was detected using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). The separation conditions were investigated through batch experiment.

Results

Under the optimized experimental conditions, the maximum adsorption capacity of crown ether resin was 22.28 ​mg/g. 4.0–8.0 ​mol/L nitric acid made it easier for the Sr²⁺ to load on the resin, and 20 ​mL ultrapure water was used to rinse the chromatographic column to achieve a good separation effect, by which the recoveries of Sr²⁺ were nearly close to 100%. The average recovery rates of 4 samples were 60.25%, 69.26%, 75.09% and 66.33%, respectively.

Conclusions

Crown ether resin has very good selectivity and adsorption for ⁹⁰Sr. The optimized conditions were high-efficiency and easy to operate. The separation method has great potential for the fast analysis of ⁹⁰Sr in food and environmental samples.