Table Of Content.
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1“
National
v
Academy ‘
of
Sciences
National Research Council
m
NUCLEAR SCIENCE SERIES
The Radiochemistry
of Tellurium
i
COMMITTEE ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE
L.F.CURTISS,Chaiwzan ROBLEY D.EVANS, Vice Chairman
NationalBureauofStandards MassachusettsInstituotfeTechnology
J.A.DeJUREN, Secrefa~y
WestinghouseElectricCorporation
C.J.BORKOWSKI J.W. IRVINE,JR.
OakRidgeNationalLaboratory MassachusettsInstituotfeTechnology
ROBERT G.COCHRAN E.D.KLEMA
TexasAgriculturaalndMechanical NorthwesternUniversity
College
W. WAYNE MEINKE
UniversitoyfMichigan
SAMUEL EPSTEIN
CaliforniIanstitutoefTechnology
J.J.NICKSON
MemorialHospitalN,ew York
U.FANO
NationalBureauofStandards
ROBERT L.PLATZMAN
LaboratoirdeeChimiePhysique
HERBERT GOLDSTEIN
NuclearDevelopmentCorporatioonf D.M. VAN PATTER
America BartolResearchFoundation
LIAISON MEMBERS
PAUL C.AEBERSOLD CHARLES K.REED
AtomicEnergyCommission U.S.AirForce
J.HOWARD McMILLEN WILLIAM E.WRIGHT
NationalScienceFoundation OfficeofNavalResearch
SUBCOMMITTEE ON RADIOCHEMISTRY
W. WAYNE ME INKE,Chairman HAROLD KIRBY
UniversitoyfMichigan Mound Laboratory
GREGORY R.CHOPPIN GEORGE LEDDICOTTE
FloridaStateUniversity OakRidgeNationalLaboratory
GEORGE A.COWAN JULIAN NIELSEN
LosAlamosScientifLiacboratory HanfordLaboratories
ARTHUR W. FAIRHALL ELLIS P.STEINBERG
universitoyfWashington ArgonneNationalLaboratory
JEROME HUDIS PETER C.STEVENSON
BrookhavenNationalLaboratory UniversitoyfCaliforni(aLivermore)
EARL HYDE LEO YAFFE
UniversitoyfCaliforni(aBerkeley) McGillUniversity
CONSLJLTANTS
NATHAN BALLOU JAMES DeVOE
NavalRadiologicaDlefenseLaboratory UniversitoyfMichigan
WILLIAM MARLOW
NationalBureauofStandards
CHEMSTRY
The Radiochemistry of Tellurium
G. W. LEDDICOTTE
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
ImmnceDate:July1961
Subcommittee on Radiochemistry
NationalAcademy ofSciences—National Research Council
PrfnteidnUSA.Price$0.50A.vaIlnblferomtheOfficoefTechnical
RerviceaD,eparbnenotfCommerce,Washingto2n5.D.C.
FOREWORD
The Subcommittee on Radlochemistrv ~s one of a number of
subcommittees working under the Commlt{ee on Nuclear science
within the National Academy of Sciences - National Research
council . Its members represent government, Industrial,. and
university laboratories in the areas of nuclear chemistry and
analytical chemistry.
The Subcommittee has concerned Itself with those areas of
nuclear science which involve the chemist, such as the collec-”
tion and distribution of radiochemical procedures, the estab-
lishment of specifications for radiochemically pure reagents,
availability of cyclotron time for service irradiations, the
place of radiochemistry in the undergraduate college program,
etc.
This series of monographs has grown out of the need for
up-to-date compilations of radiochemical Information and pro-
cedures. The Subcommittee has endeavored to present a series
which will be of maximum use to the worktig scientist and
which contatis the latest available tiformation. Each mono-
graph collects in one volume the pertinent information required
for radiochemical work with am individual element or a group of
closely related elements;
An expert in the radiochemistry of the particular element
has written the monograph, following a standard format developed
by the Subconmlttee. The Atomic Energy Commission has sponsored
the printing of the ,series,
The Subcommittee is confident these publications will be
useful not only to the radlochemist but also to the research
worker h other fields such as physics, biochemistry or medicine
who wishes to use radiochemical techniques to solve a specific
problem.
W. Wayne Meinke, Chalman
Subcommittee on Radiochemistry
.,.
111
INTRODUCTION
This volume which deals wfth the radlochemlstry of tellurium
is one of a series of monographs on radiochemfstry of the elements.
There 16 included a review of the nuclear and chemical features
of particular Interest to the radlochemist, a discussion of prob–
lems of dissolution of a sample and counting techniques, and
finally, a collection of radlochemlcal procedures for the element
as found in the literature.
The series of monographs will ‘cover all elements for which
radiochemical procedures are pertinent. Plans Include revision
of the monograph periodically as new techniques and procedures
warrant. The reader is therefore encouraged to call to the
attention of the author any published or unpublished material on
the radiochemistry of tellurlum which might be included In a
revised version of the monograph.
iv
CONTENTS
1. GeneralReferenceson the InorganicandAnalytical
Chemistryof Tellurium. . . . . .-. . . . . . . ...1
II. RadioactiveNuclideaof Tellurium . . . . . . . . . . 1
III, The Chemistryof Telluriumand Its Application
to the Radiochemistryof the Tellurium
Rsdionucliiies.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A. The GeneralChemistryof Tellufium. . . . . . . .
1. MetallicTell@um . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :
2. The Compoundsof Tellurium. . . . . . . . . .,5
a. The Oxide,Oxyacid,and Oxyhslide
Cosqmunddof Tellurium. . . . . . . . . . 8
b. HalogenCompoundsof Tellurium. . . . . . 9
C. HydrogenCcsspoundsof Tellurium.. . . . .10
d. The SulfurC!ompomds. . . . . . . . . . . 10
e. U1 Compoundsof Tellurium. . . . . . . 10
B. The AnalyticalChemistq of Tellurium . . . . . . u.
1. Separationby Precipitation . . . . . . . . . 12
2. Separationby Volatility. . . . . . . . . . . 14
3. Separationsby Electmlysia . . . . . . . . . 14
4. Separationsby SolventExtraction . . . . . . 15
a. Ion AssociationSystems . . . . . . . . . 15
b. ChelateComplexSystems . . . . . . . . .16
Separationsby Ion Exchange . . . . . . . . .16
2 Separationsby PaperChromatography . . . . .17
Iv. Dissolutionof SamplesContainingTellurium . . . . .18
v. SafetyFrac*ices.’..... . . . . . . . . . . ...19
m. bunting Techniquesfor the Tellurium
,Radionuclides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...19
VII. Collectionof DetailedRadiochemicalProcedures
for the TelluriumBeilionuclides. . . . . . . . . . .20
v
.
The Radiochemistry of Tellurium
G. W. LEDDICOTTE
Oak Ridge Nationul Laboratory*
Oak Ridge, [email protected]
I. GENERALRITERENCESON ‘THEINORGANICAND ANALYTICAL-STRY OF
TELLURIUM
1. Remy, H., Treatiseon Inorg@c Chefietw, Volume1, p. 741-’7s2,
Elsevier,Amsterdam(1956).
2. Kleinberg,J., Argerslnger,W. J., Jr., and Griswold,E., Inorganic
Chemistry,p. 434-455,Heath,Boston (19&l).
3. Hillebrand,W. F., Iu.ndell,G. E. F., Bright,H. A. and Hoffman,
J. L.,AppliedInorganicAnalysis,John Wiley and Sons,New york,
1958.
4. Wilson,C. L. andWilson,D. W., ComprehensiveAnalyticalChem-
istry,Elsevier,Amsterdam,1959.
5. Sienko,M. J. and Plane,R. A., Chemistry,McGraw-Hill,New York,
1957.
6, Chexlot,G. andBezler,D., QuantitativeInorganicAnalysis,
JohnWiley emd Sons,New York, 1957.
7. Sldgwick,N. V., The ChemicalElementsand Their Compounds,
Unlver8ityPress,Oxford,1951.
II. RADIOACNYE NUCIZDESOF TEILURIUM
The radioactivenuclidesof tellurlumthat are of interestin the
radiochemistryof telluriumare givenin Table I. This tablehas been
(1)
compiled’frominformationappearingin reprts by Strominger,et al.,
(2)
andby Hughesand Harvey.
*@crated for U. S. Atomiclherm Comnissionby Union CarbideCorporation.
1
Teble I. The radioactiveNuclhieaof Tellurium
Radio- Half- Mode of Energyof
nuclide life Rwiiation,Mev Producedby
Te118
6.0 d Ec Sb-d-5n
Tellg
4.5 d EC y: 1.6 Sb-d-4n
~121m
154 d IT 7: 0.082,0.213 Te-n-y,Sn-c+n,Sb-d-2n,
Sb-p-n
Te121 ~ Telam
17 d EC 7: 0.5(%,0.573 , d IU1, Sb-d-2n,
Sb-p-n
Te12@
104 d IT 7: 0.W5, 0.159 Te-n-y,Sb-d-2n
Te125m 125
*d IT 7: 0.110,0.0353 ‘I&n-y,d Sb
Te127m
115d IT 7: 0.9885
‘Uer-ann-iyu’m‘f-ids-spi’on,1d-nS-bp127
Te127
9.3 h ~-(only) p-:0.7 Te-n-y,Te-d-p,Te-n-2n,
~-;LQ7~~J~*ssion,
Te12gm
33.5d IT 7: 0.106 Te-n-y,Te-d-p,Te-n-2n,
Te-y-n,Uraniumfission
Te129
72 III P-, 7 p-: 1.8 Te-n-y,Te-d-p,Te-y-n,
y: 0.3, 0.8 Te-n-2n,Uraniumfission,
Thoriumfission,d Te”~,
d Sb~9
Te131m
30 h IT 7: 0.17’7
Te131
24.8m P-, 7 B-: 2.0, 1.4
Tel&
77.7 ~ P-, 7 p-:0.22 Te-G , !Ihoriumfission,
d Sb1?3
Te133m 133
63 m IT 7: 0.4 Uraniumfission,d Sb
Te133 d Te1331n
2m P-, 7 P-: 2.4, 1.7
7: 0.6, 1.0
Te134
44 m B- Thoriumfission
III. THE -STRY OF ~AND ITSAPPLICATIONTO THE RADIOCHR41STRY
OF THE TELTUR17JhRiADIONUCLIDES
%diochetistry is probablybest describedas being m aualysistech-
niqueused prinw’llyeither (1)to assistin obtaininga pure radionuclide
in someform so that an absolutemeasureMnt of its radioactivity,radia-
tion energiesand ha~-life canbe made, or (2)to determinethe amount
of a particularradioelementin a radionuclidemixture,or (3)to complete
a radioactivationanalysisbe- u6ed to detenuinethe concentrationof a
specificstableelementin a lwrticular.samplematerial. b orderto be
2
an aid in accompllahlngany one of the aboveinterests,radiochemktry
umally considem the Isolatlonof the deeiredrtiionuclldeby either
carrieror carrier-freeseparationmethods.
Generally,carriermethodsare usedmat frequentlyin radlochemi~try.
They involvethe additionof a SM1l mount of inactivestableelementto a
solutionof the irradiatedmaterialto serveaa a carrierof the redio-
nuclideof that elementthroughthe separationmethod. In carrier-free
separations,i.e.,zadiochemicaltechulquesusedmostlyfor abaoluterdio-
activltymeasurements, it is requiredthat the radtoelementbe isolatedin
a manner capableof givfngeitherno amunt or a minimalamountof stable
elementin the final form to be used In the radioactivitymeasurements.
In most instances,analyticalrtiiochemistzyis dependentuponmore
conventionalideasin analyticalchemistm Involvingseparationsby such
methodsas precipitation,solventextraction,chrcmmtography,volatiliz-
tion,and/orelectrolysisand the subsequent”presentationof the isolated
redioelementin a form suitablefor a messurementof the redioelenmtns
radioactltity. One major differenceexistsbetween carfierradiochemistg
and mQ& conventionaltechniquesin thatit isnot alwaysnecessaryto re-
covercompletelythe added amountof carrierelement,sincea radiochemlcal
analysisis desi~d to assurethat the atomsof a radioactiveelement
,,
achievean isotopicstatewith the atomsof the inactiveelement,and any
lossof the radioactivespeciesis proportionalto the “loss”of carrier
dting the separationprocess.
Calorimetric,polarographicand similaranalysistechniquesare seldom
used in radiochemistryb,ecaueethey do not separatethe desiredredionuclide
from contaminants(eitherradioactiveor stable)h the mixturebeing anal-
yzed. However,some of the developmentsused In theseanalysistechniques
may be usefulin rediochemistry.
The informationthat followsgenemlly describesthe chemicalbehavior
of telluriumand its compunds. Many of these reactionshave been used or
3
canbe ueed in devlslngmdlocheunic@ analyel~methodsfor the tellurium
redlonucllde1.3 More detailedhfo-tion cm the Inorganicand analytical
Chembtly of telluriumcanbe obtainedeitherfrm the ~ferences citedin
thla Oectlonor from the geneml re&rences given“inSectionI of this
mxlomph.
J
A. meGeMml Ch&iatry of Telltiulu
Telhriun iE leaswidelydistz5bk.edtpea selemlum;however,It is mre
C&b&lmemgated in sp6cificmbel=ildepoeitm. Its chiefmlnemle m“ heekite,
A+lk, altaiti,,PbTe,coloradoite,Hg!K,and silver-goldh~tides, sum
ae Sylvanite,-4. Wutium abo is foundb its nativeStateend m
combinatim with oxygen,e.g. telluriumocher,Te02. It also is foundmixed
with mJYur ead t3elenim. An hprknt ore of telhriti is ~ te, Which
1s a mixtureof lead,golA,copper, silver,aud 6mtimny suM?ltiEand telluz5des.
TeIiurium18 mmt oftenricovere~from the ande slhes of copperre-
finingd from the mineml, nagyaglte. !l%eaematerialsare ueuallydecom-
posedby boill& with a mixtureof cuncentre.te&dchloric and nil&c
acide. Folhwlng an evaporationto dryneaB,the remidueiB diaaolved,in
mchloric acid - * t@JutiuuIPrecipikted by meana of SUU dioxide.
If seleniumand telluriumare cti”ined in tl&I mixture, they can be sepaka%ed
.
by boilingthe miiturewith S~C acid. b thiB process,tellu2#umin
precipitatedae Te02 and the seiknium,ae selenite,is transfonuedto aele-
nloue aciduhi@ rendm Ineolution.
1. hkxalllcTellurium
‘Ielluriummtd Is isomm@oue with grey crystallineselenium. It is
silverwhite aud ~” a metal~c lueter. It is very btittleand cenh
pwdered eaeily. When telluriumla ~aited frcm solutionby the reduc-
titi of tellurouaacidwith sulfwoua acid,it Is”obtainedea a vohdnoue
brown powder,or “emrpboua” telltium.
Tellurlm metelwill burn when heatedin air,and it will combine.
energeticallywith,the halogenaand mny nmtala. However,unlikeselenium,
..
4
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