Estimation of Trace Amounts of Protactinium in Thorium Nitrate Produced from Indian Monazite

A practical method has been developed to separate trace quantities of Pa from thorium nitrate sample produced from Indian Monazite Sand using (i) Dowex-50 for a quantitative separation of Pa or (ii) Dowex-1 to afford 80% recovery without any contamination of U in the sample. By a repetition of the method it is possible to isolate radiochemically pure Pa without any contamination of U. This method can be adopted to prepare an absolute Pa source from uranium ore