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Development of an analytical strategy for the determination of 228Th and 232Th in ivory based on the combined use of ICP-MS and α-spectrometry

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Abstract

Elephants are endangered due to the value of their ivory tusks. Therefore, a reliable method for age determination of ivory is of interest for the law enforcement against elephant poachers. The ratio of the specific activities 228Th/232Th can be used for the age assessment of ivory. In this report, the combination of two complementary detection techniques, namely inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and α-spectrometry, for the determination of 228Th and 232Th in ivory is presented. Using ICP-MS in addition to α-spectrometry, the uncertainty of the 232Th determination could be reduced significantly which enabled a more accurate and effective ivory dating.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the zoological garden of Wuppertal and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conversation, which supported this work with ivory samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Chemo- and Biosensors, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Andreas Schmidberger, Robert Schupfner & Frank-Michael Matysik

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  1. Andreas Schmidberger
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  2. Robert Schupfner
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  3. Frank-Michael Matysik
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Correspondence to Robert Schupfner.

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Schmidberger, A., Schupfner, R. & Matysik, FM. Development of an analytical strategy for the determination of 228Th and 232Th in ivory based on the combined use of ICP-MS and α-spectrometry. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 318, 2007–2011 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-6191-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-6191-8

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