Anion-exchange separation of plutonium in hydrochloric-hydrobromic acid media

Plutonium can be rapidly and selectively separated from the elements that interfere in its radiochemical determination, by the use of hydrobromic acid in a hydrohalic acid anion-exchange separation procedure. Plutonium(IV) and (VI) are adsorbed onto the resin column from 9M hydrochloric acid, interfering elements such as americium and thorium are washed from the column with 9M hydrochloric acid, and the plutonium is reduced to plutoniurn(III) and washed from the column with 11M hydrobromic acid. Interfering elements such as uranium and neptunium, which are adsorbed onto the column from 9M hydrochloric acid, are retained there during the hydrochloric and hydrobromic acid washes. This system would also appear to provide the means for effectively separating plutonium from those elements that commonly interfere in such chemical methods of analysis as redox titration.