Mechanism of astatine and bismuth sorption on extraction chromatography resins from nitric acid media

Systematic study of astatine (At) sorption on extraction chromatography resins from nitric acid media has been performed at Texas A&M University. This work covers commercially available resins such as LN, TK400, SR, TRU, and UTEVA. Acquiring an understanding of At behavior in up to 4 M HNO3 solutions is a key step to develop a rapid and reliable system for At separation and purification. The determined distribution coefficients are greater than 20 for all the resins studied, reaching 400 for TRU and UTEVA resins. The sorption uptake decreases in the order: TRU greater than or similar to UTEVA > TK400 greater than or similar to SR > LN. For each resin a thermodynamic model has been developed to suggest a possible mechanism of At sorption and corresponding sorption constants have been estimated. Literature data along with new results on bismuth (Bi) sorption by studied resins in nitric acid media have been reviewed and a mathematical model to describe its behavior has been suggested. A ratio of corresponding fit functions of At and Bi assigned to the same resin and acidity has been used to estimate separation factors of these elements. Only the TRU resin is not suitable for efficient At isolation from Bi, while the other four resins demonstrate promising results.

Automated summary

A systematic study on astatine (At) sorption on extraction chromatography resins from nitric acid media has been conducted at Texas A&M University. Commercially available resins such as LN, TK400, SR, TRU, and UTEVA were included in this study. Understanding the behavior of At in nitric acid solutions is crucial for the development of a fast and reliable separation and purification system. The results showed high distribution coefficients for all the studied resins, with TRU and UTEVA resins reaching values as high as 400. The sorption uptake followed the order: TRU ≥ UTEVA > TK400 ≥ SR > LN. Thermodynamic models were developed for each resin to suggest possible mechanisms of At sorption, and sorption constants were estimated. Additionally, a mathematical model was proposed to describe bismuth (Bi) sorption by the studied resins in nitric acid media, and separation factors of At and Bi were estimated using the ratio of fit functions assigned to the same resin and acidity. Only the TRU resin was found to be unsuitable for efficient At isolation from Bi, while the other four resins showed promising results.