Title: Double potential step chronocoulometric studies to determine the role of thiocyanate in electroanalytical determination of gallium in Pu-Ga and U-Ga alloys
Authors: T.K. Bhardwaj
Addresses: Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
Abstract: Two rapid, selective and simple methods are developed for the determination of gallium in Pu-Ga and U-Ga alloys using Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV) and Controlled Potential Coulometry (CPC). In continuation of this work, a detailed study is presented to determine the role of SCN− during the determination of gallium at Static Mercury Drop Electrode (SMDE) in NaClO4 and NaSCN mixed electrolyte. Double potential step chronocoulometric experiments were carried out to examine the adsorption of Ga(III) at SMDE in 4M NaClO4 alone and in the presence of SCN− employing different initial and final potentials for different gallium concentrations; this approach involved an instrumental readout of charge on a square root of time axis, allowing immediate examination of Q-t1/2 plot. Instrumentation for functional readout of Q-t1/2 plots is described and was evaluated by investigation of 1 mM cadmium adsorption at mercury electrode from 0.5M NaNO3 + 0.5M NaSCN before carrying out the experiments for gallium adsorption.
Keywords: double potential step chronocoulometric studies; thiocyanate; electroanalytical determination; gallium; Pu-Ga; U-Ga alloys; uranium; plutonium.
DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2012.046981
International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2012 Vol.7 No.1, pp.9 - 22
Received: 21 Oct 2011
Accepted: 10 Feb 2012
Published online: 05 Dec 2014 *