Advances in Analytical Methods of ⁹⁹Tc in Environmental Soil Samples

With the exploiting of nuclear energy and the development of nuclear medical diagnosis, the research of ⁹⁹Tc is becoming more and more important. Because of the long half-life, high fission yield, and high mobility, ⁹⁹Tc has caused widely attention in disposing nuclear waste, environmental safety assessment and biological effect, consequently it is essential to determine the accurate concentration of ⁹⁹Tc in environmental soil samples. This article reviews the chemical properties of Tc and compares the developed analytical methods of ⁹⁹Tc in environmental samples. The procedures contain four steps: sample pre-treatment, chemical separation and purification, source preparation and ⁹⁹Tc measurement. The work illustrates the major bottlenecks of analytical methods reported and makes the prospect of ⁹⁹Tc analysis in the future.