Issue 1, 2012
From the journal:

Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry

Ultra-trace determination of plutonium in urine samples using a compact accelerator mass spectrometry system operating at 300 kV

Xiongxin Dai,*a   Marcus Christl,b   Sheila Kramer-Tremblaya  and  Hans-Arno Synalb  

* Corresponding authors

a Chalk River Laboratories, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada
E-mail: daix@aecl.ca
Tel: +1 613 584 3311 ext. 46128

b Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Abstract

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a very sensitive and robust technique for analysis of long-lived radionuclides. Employment of the AMS technique can reduce the demands on sample preparation chemistry, due to its high rejection of interferences and low susceptibility to sample matrix. This is particularly of interest for ultra-trace determination of 239Pu in bioassay and environmental samples, as other mass spectrometric methods such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can suffer from isobaric mass interferences by the presence of uranium in the sample. A rapid sample preparation method for analysis of Pu at femtogram levels in large volume urine samples is described. Using the compact ETH AMS Tandy facility operating at ∼300 kV, the method was validated by analysing urine samples spiked with known amounts of 239/240/241Pu ranging from 1 to 30 fg. The detection limits for the method were estimated to be 0.38 fg for 239Pu, 0.40 fg for 240Pu and 0.08 fg for 241Pu in 1400 mL of urine.

Graphical abstract: Ultra-trace determination of plutonium in urine samples using a compact accelerator mass spectrometry system operating at 300 kV

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C1JA10264H
Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Sep 2011
Accepted
10 Oct 2011
First published
15 Nov 2011

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012,27, 126-130

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Ultra-trace determination of plutonium in urine samples using a compact accelerator mass spectrometry system operating at 300 kV

X. Dai, M. Christl, S. Kramer-Tremblay and H. Synal, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012, 27, 126 DOI: 10.1039/C1JA10264H

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