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Age determination analysis of a single uranium particle for safeguards

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Abstract

An analytical technique was developed to determine the age of uranium particles. After the chemical separation of uranium and thorium, the 230Th/234U ratio was measured using single-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and a 233U-based reference material comprising a certain amount of 229Th as a progeny nuclide of 233U. The results allowed us to determine the purification age of two certified materials, i.e., U-850 and U-100, which was in good agreement with the reference purification age (61 y). Moreover, the age of a single U-850 particle was determined with a difference of − 28 to 2 years from the reference date.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, Japan. The authors would like to thank Mr. T. Watanabe and Mr. D. Endo for the chemical treatments, Mr. T. Onodera and Mr. H. Matsuyama for the sample preparation, and Mr. Y. Takahashi for the ICP–MS measurements. The valuable comments of reviewers are appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Group for Safeguards Analytical Chemistry, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai, Naka, Ibaraki, 319-1195, Japan

    Daisuke Suzuki, Ryohei Tomita, Jumpei Tomita, Fumitaka Esaka, Kenichiro Yasuda & Yutaka Miyamoto

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  1. Daisuke Suzuki
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  2. Ryohei Tomita
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  3. Jumpei Tomita
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  4. Fumitaka Esaka
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  5. Kenichiro Yasuda
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  6. Yutaka Miyamoto
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Correspondence to Daisuke Suzuki.

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Suzuki, D., Tomita, R., Tomita, J. et al. Age determination analysis of a single uranium particle for safeguards. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 328, 103–111 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-07626-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-07626-x

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