%0 Journal Article
%K Analysis
%A Gregory L Klunder
%A John E Andrews
%A Patrick M Grant
%A Brian D Andresen
%A Richard E Russo
%B Analytical Chemistry
%D 1997
%F Laser
%G eng
%N 15
%P 2988-2993
%R 10.1021/ac970042e
%T Analysis of Fission Products Using Capillary Electrophoresis with On-Line Radioactivity Detection
%V 69
%2 LBNL-40487
%8 08/1997
%! Anal. Chem.
%X <p>Capillary electrophoresis has been used to separate metal ions characteristically associated with nuclear fission. Indirect UV absorbance and on-line radioactivity detection were used simultaneously to monitor the analytes. The radioactivity detector consists of conical plastic scintillating material with the capillary passing through the center to provide a 4π detection geometry. The wide end of the cone is optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube. Transient isotachophoretic techniques were employed to stack large volumes of samples which had low specific activities. Radioactivity detection of <sup>152</sup>Eu and <sup>137</sup>Cs was achieved at the nanocurie level for 80−100 nL injections. The detector is approximately 80% efficient, enabling samples resident in the detector window for 0.1 min to be reliably assayed. The separation of <sup>137</sup>Cs and <sup>137m</sup>Ba isotopes, which are in secular equilibrium, was modeled to demonstrate the effects of the rapid decay of <sup>137m</sup>Ba.</p>