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Updated: Apr 17, 2026
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Separation of Uranium and Thorium for 230Th-U Dating of Submarine Hydrothermal Sulfides
Published on: May 20, 2019
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Identifying uranium particles using fission tracks and microsampling individual particles for analysis using thermal
Fumitaka Esaka1, Daisuke Suzuki, Masaaki Magara
1Research Group for Analytical Chemistry, Japan Atomic Energy Agency , 2-4 Shirakata-Shirane, Tokai, Naka, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
Analytical Chemistry
|February 14, 2015
Summary
Analyzing uranium particle isotope ratios helps trace origins and detect nuclear activities. A new microsampling technique with fission track-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) effectively prevents particle-mixing for reliable source identification.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Nuclear Chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Isotope ratio analysis of environmental particles aids in source attribution.
- Uranium particle analysis is crucial for detecting undeclared nuclear activities.
- Particle-mixing in thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) with fission track analysis can lead to inaccurate source identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a method to prevent particle-mixing in uranium isotope ratio analysis.
- To improve the reliability of identifying individual particle sources in environmental samples.
Main Methods:
- Integration of microsampling using a scanning electron microscope into the fission track-TIMS procedure.
- Analysis of mixed reference materials (SRM 950a and CRM U100) containing uranium particles.
Main Results:
- The proposed microsampling technique effectively minimized particle-mixing during uranium isotope analysis.
- Reliable isotopic data for individual uranium particles was obtained, enabling accurate source identification.
Conclusions:
- The enhanced fission track-TIMS method with microsampling significantly improves the accuracy of uranium particle source attribution.
- This technique provides a robust solution for identifying the origins of uranium particles in environmental monitoring.
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