230Th heterogeneity in a CMX-7 depleted uranium metal sample

AbstractLA-(QQQ)ICP-MS was used to investigate the sources of inconsistent230Th/234U radiochronometry results obtained during CMX-7 for depleted uranium (DU) oxide powder, ES-1, and DU metal, ES-4, samples. The stability of the (QQQ)ICP-MS was greatly improved using a modified “broad peak” technique to enable a more precise and accurate analysis of the samples. Whereas ES-1 was found to be homogeneous in both U and Th, ES-4 was homogeneous in U but inhomogeneous in Th. The ratio of230Th/234U decreased with depth of the metal sample, whereas234U/235U remained constant, leading to an apparently higher age on the surface of the sample.
Source: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Category: Nuclear Medicine Source Type: research