Using lead isotope ratios to distinguish between samples of diffrent uranium mines

abstractIn this work, a total of twenty samples selected for investigation originate from South Africa and Namibia uranium mines. The aim of this study was to determine whether the lead ratios measured in particular samples could be used to attribute the uranium sample to the production or reprocessing plant. Measurements were carried out using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer PerkinElmer NexION 2000. The precision obtained for the208Pb/206Pb ratio, the207Pb/206Pb ratio and the204Pb/206Pb ratio values was considerably lower than 0.02% demonstrating the applicability of the technique for Pb isotope ratio studies.
Source: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Category: Nuclear Medicine Source Type: research