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Determination of radium isotopes in mine waters through alpha- and beta-activities measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry

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Abstract

This paper presents a method for the determination of radium isotopes in mineralised mine waters, based on the separation of alpha- and beta-intensities measured in the precipitate by a liquid scintillation spectrometer in two time intervals (1 day and 7 days) after radium precipitation. The count rates of α-particles give not only the concentration of alpha emitters (226Ra and224Ra), but also make possible to find the β-counting efficiency of the system and through that-to determine the concentration of the β-emitting radium isotope (228Ra) with higher accuracy. An improved chemical procedure was elaborated. By this method radium isotopes in different water samples were determined, in wide range of concentrations, from about 0.06 Bq/dm3 in potable water to more than 100 Bq/dm3 in some mine brines. As an example some analytical results are given. The detection limit, defined as three standard deviations, is-for both radium isotopes −0.03 Bq/dm3 (for intial volume of water sample equal to about 1 dm3 and for counting time of each measurement not longer than 1 hour).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Faculty of Physics and Nuclear Techniques, University of Mining and Metallurgy, Kraków, Poland

    Nguyen Dinh Chau, J. Niewodniczański, A. Ochoński, E. Chrusciel & I. Tomza

  2. The Institute of Physics, Silesian University, Katowice, Poland

    J. Dorda

Authors
  1. Nguyen Dinh Chau
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  2. J. Niewodniczański
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  3. J. Dorda
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  4. A. Ochoński
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  5. E. Chrusciel
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  6. I. Tomza
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Chau, N.D., Niewodniczański, J., Dorda, J. et al. Determination of radium isotopes in mine waters through alpha- and beta-activities measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 222, 69–74 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02034249

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02034249

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