A radiochemistry laboratory exercise: determination of uranium in tap water by solvent extraction and liquid scintillation counting

Environmental radiochemistry is a key pillar of the education of nuclear engineering students and young professionals. Teaching the fundamentals of this multidisciplinary field is best performed also through well-designed hands-on experiments. A simple and fast radiochemical procedure has been developed to determine uranium in tap water by liquid scintillation counting. The proposed method provides reliable and repeatable results, with accuracy and precision within 5%. It can be proficiently executed by undergraduate students, who have appreciated the engagement and got acquainted with standard analysis protocols, from sample collection and manipulation to radiometric measure and data analysis.

Automated summary

Environmental radiochemistry is important in the education of nuclear engineering students and young professionals. The authors developed a simple and fast method using liquid scintillation counting to determine uranium in tap water. The proposed method provides reliable results with high accuracy and precision within 5%. It can be easily executed by undergraduate students, allowing them to gain practical experience in standard analysis protocols.