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Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Automated 90Sr Separation and Preconcentration in a Lab-on-Valve System at Ppq Level
Published on: June 6, 2018
A Selective Separation Method to Determine Radiostrontium in Water Samples Based on the Chelation of Potential
Nicolas Guérin1, Debbie Behm1, Alexandre Gagné1
1Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, 286 Plant Road, Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, Canada.
None:
A new rapid, safe, and cost-effective Sr separation method to determine 89Sr and 90Sr in water samples has been developed. First, Ba and Ra were precipitated with chromate at pH 6-7 and Sr was precipitated with sulfate. Then, the potential interferences in the SrSO4 salt were chelated and dissolved with EDTA. The dry SrSO4 precipitate was weighed to determine the chemical recovery and then dissolved. Strontium-89 and strontium-90 were measured by liquid scintillation counting (LSC). The chemical recovery was optimized (∼75%), the decontamination factors for potential interferences were determined, the method was validated using spiked samples, and then the method was applied to environmental water samples.
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