Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films
Published on: November 9, 2015
Elemental composition in sealed plutonium-beryllium neutron sources
N Xu1, K Kuhn1, D Gallimore1
1Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
Abstract:
Five sealed plutonium-beryllium (PuBe) neutron sources from various manufacturers were disassembled. Destructive chemical analyses for recovered PuBe materials were conducted for disposition purposes. A dissolution method for PuBe alloys was developed for quantitative plutonium (Pu) and beryllium (Be) assay. Quantitation of Be and trace elements was performed using plasma based spectroscopic instruments, namely inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Pu assay was accomplished by an electrochemical method. Variations in trace elemental contents among the five PuBe sources are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Nuclear Transmutation
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Fuels
Nuclear fuel consists of a fissile isotope, such as uranium-235, which must be present in sufficient quantity to provide a...
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Stability
To hold positively...
Electron Configuration of Multielectron Atoms
Nuclear Binding Energy

