NUCL 128 |
| A dried residue specimen preparation method was developed to quantify analytes in plutonium metal using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF). Aliquots from a dissolved plutonium solution are cast on polymer film and dried prior to analysis. The currently certified WDXRF specimen preparation method entails removing the plutonium by solid phase extraction (SPE) and analysis of the eluted solution. Thus, replacing this method with the dried residue technique eliminates the possibility of radioactive liquid leaking into the spectrometer. Sample turn-around-time is also greatly reduced by eliminating the need for SPE. A dried residue method which produces specimens with minimal variation minimizes XRF analytical error due to specimen preparation. In recent developments, thin, uniform films were formed from plutonium solutions by using a surfactant to break the solution surface tension while drying on the polymer film substrate. Results using this new dried residue approach will be discussed. |
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Analytical Chemistry in Nuclear Technology
9:00 AM-11:50 AM, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- Stuart Rm, Oral
Division of Nuclear Chemistry & Technology |