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A rapid method for quantifying 238Pu in the presence of natural 238U via quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and utilizing a resin-based extraction procedure

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Abstract

A method was developed for removing the interference of 238U from samples containing 238Pu so that the Pu isotopes could be rapidly determined by ICP-MS. The acidified sample was first passed through a commercial TEVA® resin that retained all of the plutonium and some uranium. Second, the sample was further passed through a UTEVA® resin that retained all of the remaining uranium but was free of plutonium. Elution of both of the fractions retained by the two resins and analysis by ICP-MS, allowed a simple correction factor to be determined that enabled subtraction of the interference caused by 238U.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by project agreement number DSOCl13061 from the DSO National Laboratories of Singapore.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DSO National Laboratories, 12 Science Park Drive, Singapore, 118225, Singapore

    Ling Ying Diane Tiong, Mer Lin Doris Ho & Boon Kin Pong

  2. Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637371, Singapore

    Ling Ying Diane Tiong & Richard D. Webster

  3. Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative, 1 CREATE Way, #04-01 CREATE Tower, Singapore, 138602, Singapore

    Boon Kin Pong

Authors
  1. Ling Ying Diane Tiong
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  2. Mer Lin Doris Ho
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  3. Boon Kin Pong
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  4. Richard D. Webster
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Correspondence to Boon Kin Pong or Richard D. Webster.

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Tiong, L.Y.D., Ho, M.L.D., Pong, B.K. et al. A rapid method for quantifying 238Pu in the presence of natural 238U via quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and utilizing a resin-based extraction procedure. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 314, 1347–1351 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5507-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5507-4

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