Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
Am3+ and Eu3+ /alkali cation exchange selectivity was studied on mordenite and zeolite L at 25 to 60 °C to examine the effect of their openings of ion-exchange sites. The corrected selectivity coefficient at the infinitesimal exchange increased in the order of Eu3+ < Am3+ on mordenite and Am3+ < Eu3+ on zeolite L. The selectivity reversal did not reflect the effect of the ionic form, but reflected the dimension of the opening of the ion-exchange site and charge of trivalent cations, since the crystal ionic radii of alkali cations were much smaller than the openings of these zeolites (7–8 Å).