This report describes recent developments in the radiochemical determination of plutonium in samples from the environment such as aerosols, rainwater, grass and soil. The radiochemical separation of plutonium from interfering alpha emitters, such as americium and curium, was found to be simplified by the recent development of nuclide-specific column materials, with special focus on labour intensiveness, preparation of the counting sample and optimization of detection.

Dit rapport beschrijft de laatste ontwikkelingen in de radiochemische bepaling van plutonium in monstermatrices zoals luchtstoffilters, regenwater, gras en bodem. De radiochemische scheiding van plutonium van storende alfastralers, zoals americium en curium, is door de recente ontwikkeling van specifieke kolommaterialen sterk vereenvoudigd. Speciale aandacht wordt besteed aan de mate van arbeidsintensiviteit van de diverse methodes, aan de preparaatbereiding en aan de meest optimale detectie.