Determination of boron in uranium–aluminum–silicon alloy by spectrophotometry and estimation of expanded uncertainty in measurement

Quantification of boron in diverse materials of relevance in nuclear technology is essential in view of its high thermal neutron absorption cross section. A simple and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of boron in uranium–aluminum–silicon alloy, based on leaching of boron with 6 M HCl and H2O2, its selective separation by solvent extraction with 2-ethyl hexane 1,3-diol and quantification by spectrophotometry using curcumin. The method has been evaluated by standard addition method and validated by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. Relative standard deviation and absolute detection limit of the method are 3.0% (at 1σ level) and 12 ng, respectively. All possible sources of uncertainties in the methodology have been individually assessed, following the International Organization for Standardization guidelines. The combined uncertainty is calculated employing uncertainty propagation formulae. The expanded uncertainty in the measurement at 95% confidence level (coverage factor 2) is 8.840%.