Preparation of Poly(Hydroxamic Acid) for Separation of Zr/Y, Sr System

Poly(hydroxamic acid) resin (PHA) was prepared by modification of polyacrylamide (PAAm) prepared through γ-irradiation technique and used for the first time in separation of Zr(IV) from Y(III) and Sr(II) as a simulation mode for the purification of 89Zr from its parents (Y or Sr). The adsorption behaviors of zirconium, yttrium, and strontium on the prepared PHA resin in different media, namely, hydrochloric acid, acetate buffer, and citrate buffer were studied as a function of pH. In addition, in cation-exchange column chromatography experiments using PHA, three different eluants, namely, 10−5 mol/L HCl, acetate buffer pH 3.5, and 2 mol/L HCl, were employed for elution of Zr(IV), Y(III) and Sr(II), respectively, where Zr(IV), Y(III) and Sr(II) were eluted in amounts of 80%, 99.9%, and 100%, respectively. The purification process of Y(III) from Zr(IV) was carried out using regenerated PHA.