Application of Neodymium Isotope Ratio Measurements for the Origin Assessment of Uranium Ore Concentrates

A novel procedure has been developed for the measurement of 143Nd/144Nd isotope ratio in various uranium-bearing materials, such as uranium ores and ore concentrates (UOC) in order to evaluate the usefulness and applicability of variations of 143Nd/144Nd isotope ratio for provenance assessment in nuclear forensics. Neodymium was separated and pre-concentrated by extraction chromatography and then the isotope ratios were measured by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). The method was validated by the measurement of standard reference materials (La Jolla, JB-2 and BCR-2) and the applicability of the procedure was demonstrated by the analysis of uranium samples of world-wide origin. The investigated samples show distinct 143Nd/144Nd ratio depending on the ore type, deposit age and Sm/Nd ratio. Together with other characteristics of the material in question, the Nd isotope ratio is a promising signature for nuclear forensics and suggests being indicative of the source material, the uranium ore.

KRAJKO Judit;  VARGA Zsolt;  YALCINTAS Ezgi;  WALLENIUS Maria;  MAYER Klaus; 

2014-08-18

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

JRC89707

0039-9140,   

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0039914014004780,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC89707,   

10.1016/j.talanta.2014.06.022,