Publications
Pushing Limits of ICP-MS/MS for the Determination of Ultralow (236)u/U-238 Isotope Ratios
- Author(s)
- Hugo Jaegler, Alkiviadis Gourgiotis, Peter Steier, Robin Golser, Olivier Diez, Charlotte Cazala
- Abstract
Determination of uranium isotope ratios is of great expedience for assessing its origin in environmental samples. In particular, the U-236/U-238 isotope ratio provides a powerful tool to discriminate between the different sources of uranium (uranium ore, geochemical background, and uranium from anthropogenic activities). However, in the environment, this ratio is typically below 10(-8). This low abundance of U-236 and the presence in large excess of major isotopes (mainly U-238 and U-235) complicates the accurate detection of U-236 signal by mass spectrometry and thus highly sensitive analytical instruments providing high abundance sensitivity are required. This work push es the limits of triple quadrupole-based ICP -MS technology for accurate detection of U-236/U-238 isotope ratios down to 10(-10), which is so far mainly achievable by AMS. Coupled with an efficient desolvating module, N2O was used as the reaction gas in the collision reaction cell of the ICP-MS/MS. This configuration allows a significant decrease of the uranium polyatomic interferences ((UH+)-U-235 ions) and an accurate determination of low U-236/U-238 isotope ratios. This new methodology was successfully validated through measurements of certified reference material from 10(-7) to 10(-9) and then through comparisons with AMS measurement results for ratios down to 10(-10). This is the first time that U-218/U-238 isotope ratios as low as 10(-10) were determined by ICP-MS/MS. The possibility of measuring U-236/U-238 isotope ratios can offer a large variety of geochemical applications in particular for the determination of uranium sources in the environment.
- Organisation(s)
- Isotope Physics
- External organisation(s)
- IRSN, PSE ENV SEDRE LELI
- Journal
- Analytical Chemistry
- Volume
- 92
- Pages
- 7869-7876
- No. of pages
- 8
- ISSN
- 0003-2700
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01121
- Publication date
- 06-2020
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103014 Nuclear physics
- Keywords
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/pushing-limits-of-icpmsms-for-the-determination-of-ultralow-236uu238-isotope-ratios(421b8820-f834-4c82-9b82-fd29c2a2a499).html