Evaluation of plating conditions for the recovery of 210Po on a Ag planchet

The polonium-210 in the sea and its radiological consequences have been widely studied. Current processes for 210Po recovery from seawater vary significantly. We compared selected processes to determine optimal conditions for recovery in modestly equipped laboratories. Plating 210Po onto a Ag planchet with constant stirring for 15 h at room temperature after preconcentration from seawater samples with Mn was preferred, achieving more than 96% recovery with 3% or less precision. Possible contaminants were masked only by ascorbic acid treatment.