Uranium age determination by measuring the 230Th/234U ratio

G. Hall

doi:10.1007/s10967-005-0732-7

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Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry

Volume/Issue:: Volume 264: Issue 2

Uranium age determination by measuring the ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U ratio

Author:

G. Hall

G. Hall Savannah River Technology Center, Nonproliferation Technology Section Bldg. 735-A, Aiken, SC 20808, USA

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Pages:: 423–427

Online Publication Date:: 19 Apr 2005

Publication Date:: 17 May 2005

Article Category:: Research Article

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-005-0732-7

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Summary

A radiochemical isotope dilution mass spectrometry method has been developed to determine the age of uranium materials. The amount of ²³⁰ Th activity, the first progeny of ²³⁴U, that had grown into a small uranium metal sample was used to determine the elapsed time since the material was last radiochemically purified. To preserve the sample, only a small amount of oxidized uranium was removed from the surface of the sample and dissolved. Aliquots of the dissolved sample were spiked with ²³³U tracer and radiochemically purified by anion-exchange chromatography. The ²³⁴U isotopic concentration was then determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). Additional aliquots of the sample were spiked with ²²⁹ Th tracer, and the thorium was purified using two sequential anion-exchange chromatography separations. The isotopic concentrations of ²³⁰ Th and ²³² Th were determined by TIMS. The lack of any ²³² Th confirmed the assumption that all thorium was removed from the uranium sample at the time of purification. The ²³⁰ Th and ²³⁴U mass concentrations were converted to activities and the ²³⁰ Th/²³⁴U ratio for the sample was calculated. The experimental ²³⁰ Th/²³⁴U ratio showed the uranium in this sample was radiochemically purified in about 1945.

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Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry

Print ISSN:: 0236-5731

Online ISSN:: 1588-2780

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Journal of Radionalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Language	English
Size	A4
Year of Foundation	1968
Volumes per Year	1
Issues per Year	12
Founder	Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's Address	H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher	Akadémiai Kiadó Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher's Address	H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245. CH-6330 Cham, Switzerland Gewerbestrasse 11.
Responsible Publisher	Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN	0236-5731 (Print)
ISSN	1588-2780 (Online)