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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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What’s in your Dubai chocolate? Nuclear scientists test pistachios for toxins
For the uninitiated, Dubai chocolate is a candy bar filled with pistachio and tahini cream and crispy pastry recently popularized by social media influencers. While it’s easy to dismiss as a viral craze now past its peak, the nutty green confection has spiked global pistachio demand, and growers and processors are ramping up production. That means more pistachios need to be tested for aflatoxins—a byproduct of a common crop mold.
David Dyrssen
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 16 | Number 4 | August 1963 | Pages 448-455
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE63-A26557
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper is concerned with solvent extraction studies that are used to study complex formation in the aqueous solution as well as in the organic solvent. In this hquid distribution method low metal concentrations can be used and the concentrations can generally be determined radiometrically. With proper choice of conditions, polynuclear reactions (e.g., formation of polynuclear hydroxo complexes) can be avoided, radioelements can be investigated, and the amount of complexing agent bound by the central ion can be neglected. Equilibria that have been investigated include the following types: (1) complexing in the aqueous phase with inorganic (e.g., OH−, Cl−, ) and organic ligands (e.g., CH3COO−, ), where the solvent extraction system is used to measure the concentration of the free metal ion; (2) complexing in both phases with extracting agents (e.g., acetylacetone, oxine); (3) residual coordination in neutral metal chelates or salts (e.g., UO2(NO3)2, UO2(TTA)2, UO2(R2PO4)2); (4) extraction of mixed chelate complexes. Mention is also made of systems that are not categorized by the above types.