Some two years ago, we bought the Pasco Isogenerator Kit (Barium-137m),
#SN-7995, for half-life experiments. It worked exellently, until the the
original eluant solution run out. We made new solution according to the
information in Pasco's catalog (0.04 N HCl 0.9% NaCl in distilled water),
but can't get any activity out of the generator with it. The documentation
says that pH of the solution should be 9. Now my chemistry is quite rusty,
but one might think that just acid and neutral salt in water will not make
pH higher than 7.
Could anyone tell, how should one make a eluant solution that works?
The generator is used only about 20 times, not 100 which it should last at
least. Pasco catalog also tells that the generator has "a shelf life of
well over a year". Surely this can't mean that the generator will die in a
couple of years, whether used or not?
Ari.Hamalainen@Helsinki.FI
Univ. of Helsinki, Department of Physics
tel +358-9-1918311 (desk), +358-40-5143867 (mobile), fax +358-9-1918680 http://www.helsinki.fi/~aohamala/