Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Reilly, Sean D.
• Patton, Genna M.
• Murillo, Jesse
• Oldham, Warren J.
• Miller, Jeffrey L.
• LaMont, Stephen P.
• Sanborn, Matthew E.
• May, Iain
• Gaunt, Andrew J.
• Hanson, Susan K.

Titel

Trace Actinide Signatures of a Bulk Neptunium Sample

Ist Teil von

• Analytical chemistry (Washington), 2023-06, Vol.95 (23), p.9123-9129

Ort / Verlag

United States: American Chemical Society

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• In nuclear forensic analyses, measurements of actinide elements in a sample can assist with identifying interdicted or unknown materials. While these radiochemical signatures have been extensively investigated in uranium materials, less is known about bulk neptunium samples. This paper describes the measurement of trace actinide concentrations and isotopic profiles in a 237Np oxide sample. Uranium, plutonium, americium, and curium concentrations and isotopic profiles in the sample were determined and deemed potentially useful for distinguishing different sources of 237Np. Several different potential radiochronometry systems were also investigated; discordant results indicate that the Np sample was never completely purified of other actinide elements, or that subsequent contamination of the sample occurred. Few prior studies of neptunium materials have been reported, and these data suggest that trace actinide constituents could provide unique signatures to identify material out of regulatory control.