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MS: Fachverband Massenspektrometrie
MS 6: New Methods, AMS II, Applications, Actinides
MS 6.3: Talk
Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 17:45–18:00, HS 3042
Where do we lose Protactinium in Environmental Sample Preparation for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry? — •Janis Wolf1,2, Astrid Barkleit2, Leonie Ebenberger1,3, Sebastian Fichter1, Robin Steudtner2, and Anton Wallner1 — 1Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf — 2Institute of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf — 3University of Vienna, Austria
Protactinium-231 (Pa-231) is a long lived (t1/2=3.28· 104 a), naturally occurring radionuclide, produced in the natural decay series of uranium-235 (U-235). A measurement of Pa-231 at environmental concentrations would enable the investigation of the migration pattern of Pa-231 in the environment and thus improve the radiological risk assessment of the U-235 decay chain.
Pa-231 is not yet routinely measured by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) but procedures for the chemical sample preparation for AMS measurements of Pa-231 are currently being developed. The biggest challenge in establishing a Pa-231 measurement procedure is the lack of knowledge on the chemical behavior of Pa. High losses of Pa in the sample preparation pose the biggest issue in the development of a reliable and reproducable chemical sample preparation procedure.
Using the short-lived isotope, Pa-233 (t1/2=27 days), we tested the AMS sample preparation procedure for different environmental samples. By conducting gamma activity measurements of Pa-233 after every sample preparation step, a comprehensive overview of the biggest Pa sinks is established.
Keywords: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry; Protactinium-231; Chemical Sample Preparation; Uranium-235 decay series