Europium Isolation from Silicate Rock Samples Exposed to Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Neutrons

Abstract

A method was devised for isolating europium from silicate rock samples, and was applied to the measurement of gamma-rays from ¹⁵²Eu in silicate rocks exposed to the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Rock samples were powdered and fused with sodium hydroxide. A cation exchange separation technique was used to separate europium from the foreign ions. The amount of europium isolated was determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry.