Absolute isotopic abundance and the atomic weight of a reference sample of thallium

Abstract

The accepted atomic weight of thallium has remained at a value of 204.37 ± 0.03 since 1962. At this level of uncertainty, however, the atomic weight becomes a limiting factor to high accuracy analysis. The new mass spectrometric determination of the atomic weight of thallium has been completed. A high precision assay technique was developed so that accurately known quantities of the ²⁰³Tl and ²⁰⁵Tl separated isotopes could be mixed to produce standards for calibration of the mass spectrometer. This assay technique involved the gravimetric determination of 99.3 percent of the0020thallium as Tl₂CrO₄. The soluble thallium was then aliquoted and determined by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Before making up the final solutions from which the assay and calibration samples would be withdrawn, the separated isotopes were purified by solvent extraction and electrodeposition. A tungsten filament surface ionization technique was developed for the determination of precise isotopic abundance measurements for thallium. This technique allowed isotopic analysis of the separated isotopes, calibration standards, and a natural thallium reference standard with precisions of better than 0.1 percent. The ²⁰⁵Tl/²Tl absolute isotopic abundance ratio of the reference sample was found to be 2.38714 ± 0.00101, yielding an atomic weight of 204.38333 + 0.00018.