High resolution conductometry for isotopic assay of deuterium in mixtures of heavy water and light water

Journal article

Authors / Editors

Sahoo, Pradeep

Research Areas

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Publication Details

Author list: Ananthanarayanan R, Sahoo P, Murali N

Publisher: Springer Verlag (Germany) / Akadémiai Kiadó

Place: DORDRECHT

Publication year: 2014

Journal: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (0236-5731)

Journal acronym: J RADIOANAL NUCL CH

Volume number: 299

Issue number: 1

Start page: 293

End page: 301

Number of pages: 9

ISSN: 0236-5731

eISSN: 1588-2780

Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)

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Abstract

A PC based high resolution conductivity monitoring technique has been deployed for determination of isotopic purity of heavy water in samples containing heavy water and light water mixtures using pulsating sensor based conductivity monitoring instrument. The technique involves accurate determination of conductivities of a series of specially treated heavy water and light water mixtures of various compositions at a constant solution temperature. The shift in conductivity (Delta kappa), which is the difference between conductivities of composite mixture after and before the formation of a typical complex compound (boric acid-mannitol complex in this case), shows a smooth and reproducible decreasing trend with increase in percentage composition of heavy water. This relation, which is obtained by appropriate calibration, is used in the software program for direct display of isotopic purity of heavy water. The technique is examined for determination of percentage composition of heavy water in the entire range of concentration (0-100 %) with reasonable precision (relative standard deviation, RSD a parts per thousand currency sign1.5 %). About 1 mL of sample is required for each analysis and analysis is completed within a couple of minutes after pretreatment of sample. The accuracy in measurement is a parts per thousand currency sign1.75 %.

Keywords

Boric acid-mannitol complex, Conductivity shift, Isotopic purity of heavy water, Pulsating conductivity meter

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