Chromatographic zinc isotope separation by chelating exchange resin

Abstract

Zinc isotope separations were studied by displacement chromatography using the chelating properties of malate, citrate and lactate exchange resin and EDTA as ligands. After each chromatographic operation, the heavier zinc isotopes were found to preferentially fractionated into the carboxylate complex solution phase. The separation coefficients (ε) for zinc isotope separation had the largest value and were obtained for the isotopic pairs 68Zn/ 64Zn (7.16 × 10-4) and 66Zn/ 64Zn (3.08 × 10-4), respectively, at 298 ± 1 K. The separation coefficient per unit mass differences (ε/ΔM) for the isotopic pair of 68Zn/64Zn was found to range around 1.55 × 10-4.