Method for separation of chemically pure os from metal mixtures
AssigneeThe Curators of the University of Missouri
InventorsHendrik P. Engelbrecht, Cathy S. Cutler, Leonard Manson, Stacy Lynn Wilder
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Abstract
A method for separating an amount of osmium from a mixture containing the osmium and at least one other additional metal is provided. In particular, method for forming and trapping OsO4 to separate the osmium from a mixture containing the osmium and at least one other additional metal is provided.
Claims6
A method of producing an amount of chemically pure Re-186 isotope, comprising:
- irradiating a metal target comprising an amount of isotopically enriched osmium isotope consisting of Os-189, Os-192, or any combination thereof in a thermal proton flux to form a mixture comprising at least one osmium isotope and at least one additional metal comprising the Re-186 isotope;
- contacting the mixture with an oxidizing solution to form a volatile OsO4 vapor comprising the at least one osmium isotope;
- distilling the OsO4 vapor out of the oxidizing solution to form a second solution comprising the Re-186 dissolved in the oxidizing solution;
- and
- separating the Re-186 isotope from the second solution.
A method of producing an amount of chemically pure Os-191 isotope, comprising:
- a. irradiating a metal target comprising an amount of isotopically enriched Os-190 metal in a thermal neutron flux to form a mixture comprising Os-191 isotope and at least one additional metal chosen from Ir-192, Ir-193, Ir-194, Pt-192, Pt-194, and combinations thereof;
- b. contacting the mixture with an aqueous solution of NaClO at a concentration of about 12% available chlorine to form a volatile OsO4 vapor comprising Os-191;
- c. bubbling the OsO4 vapor through a trapping solution comprising an aqueous solution of KOH at a concentration of about 25% w/v to form an amount of dissolved K2[OsO4(OH)2] comprising Os-191;
- d. contacting the dissolved K2[OsO4(OH)2] with an aqueous solution of NaHS at a concentration of about 10% w/v to form an OsS2 precipitate comprising Os-191;
- e. washing the OsS2 precipitate by agitating with water;
- f. separating the OsS2 precipitate from the KOH trapping solution by centrifuging;
- g. rinsing the OsS2 precipitate with acetone;
- h. drying the OsS2 precipitate.
A method of removing an osmium impurity from a mixture comprising the osmium impurity and at least one additional metal, comprising:
- a. contacting the mixture with an oxidizing solution to form a volatile OsO4 vapor;
- b. distilling the OsO4 vapor out of the oxidizing solution to form a second solution comprising the at least one metal dissolved in the oxidizing solution;
- c. separating the at least one metal from the second solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.