Yttrium Oxide: Xenotime Opened with Sulfuric Acid and Separated on 30-Inch Ion Exchange Columns with EDTA (Ames Laboratory, IS-1, 1959)

Xenotime is mostly yttrium phosphate. The Ames Laboratory opened it with hot sulfuric acid, loaded the rare earths onto a train of 30-inch resin columns and washed them down with EDTA until the yttrium came off on its own, between dysprosium and terbium. Result: about 500 lb of pure yttrium oxide per run; 3000 lb in six runs. Source: F. H. Spedding, J. E. Powell and H. Burkholder, in USAEC report IS-1 (Ames Laboratory, 1959), pp. 16-20 and 175-181. Hot strong sulfuric acid burns; wear acid protection. Picture: the Ames ion exchange units, Fig. 23 of the report.