DIPEX: A new extraction chromatographic material for the separation and preconcentration of actinides from aqueous solution

A novel extraction chromatographic resin consisting of a liquid diphosphonic acid supported on an inert polymeric substrate for the sorption of actinides from strongly acidic chloride media is described. The resin is shown to exhibit stronger affinity for actinides in the tri-, tetra- and hexavalent oxidation states and superior selectivity for americium(III) over aluminum(III) or iron(III) than an analogous chelating ion-exchange resin containing chemically bonded geminally substituted diphosphonic acid functionalities. These properties, along with the comparative ease of recovery of sorbed actinides, make the resin readily applicable to the separation and preconcentration of actinides, as a group, from complex matrices such as soils and bioassay samples.