Osnabrück 2002 – scientific programme
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MS: Massenspektrometrie
MS 2: Beschleunigermassenspektrometrie
MS 2.5: Talk
Wednesday, March 6, 2002, 17:30–17:45, HS 02/E04
Determination of U-236 in Contaminated Environmental Samples Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry — •Sergei Boulyga1,2, Janna Matusevich2, Vladimir Kudrjashov2, Vladislav Mironov2, and J. Sabine Becker1 — 1Central Department for Analytical Chemistry, Research Center Juelich, D-52425 Juelich, Germany — 2Radiation Physics and Chemistry Problems Institute, 220109 Sosny, Minsk, Belarus
Use of U-236 isotope to monitor the spent uranium from nuclear fallout in soil samples collected in the vicinity of the Chernobyl NPP is discussed in this study. Performance of several inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers (ICP-MS) has been studied. An overall detection efficiency for U-238 down to 0.001 counts per atom was achieved. The relative rate of uranium hydride ions UH/U was reduced down to 1 ppm by aerosol desolvation. The detection limit for U-236 was in the fg/g range. The lowest abundance sensitivity of 0.3 ppm was achieved for U-236/U-238 isotope ratio in ICP-MS with collision cell. The uranium isotopic composition was determined in Chernobyl soil samples; on the basis of the results obtained spent uranium fraction and burn-up grade of spent uranium was calculated. In comparison to U-235/U-238 isotope ratio, the U-236/U-238 isotope ratio provided more sensitive and accurate determination of fraction of spent uranium from Chernobyl NPP in spent/natural uranium mixture in soil samples down to 0.1 per cent.