Determination of actinides in environmental and biological samples using high-performance chelation ion chromatography coupled to sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A 2001-08, Vol.928 (1), p.91-98
• Main Authors: Truscott, Jason B., Jones, Phil, Fairman, Ben E., Hywel Evans, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actinoid Series Elements - analysis; Americium; Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biological effects of radiation; Calibration; Chelating Agents - chemistry; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Ionizing radiations; Mass Spectrometry - methods; Neptunium; Plutonium; Pollution; Reference Standards; Sensitivity and Specificity; Soil - analysis; Soil and sediments pollution; Thorium; Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics; Uranium
• ISSN: 0021-9673
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9673(01)01120-7

High-performance chelation ion chromatography, using a neutral polystyrene substrate dynamically loaded with 0.1 m M dipicolinic acid, coupled with sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has been successfully used for the separation of the actinides thorium, uranium, americium, neptunium and plutonium. Using this column it was possible to separate the various actinides from each other and from a complex sample matrix. In particular, it was possible to separate plutonium and uranium to facilitate the detection of the former free of spectral interference. The column also exhibited some selectivity for different oxidation states of Np, Pu and U. Two oxidation states each for plutonium and neptunium were found, tentatively identified as Np(V) and Pu(III) eluting at the solvent front, and Np(IV) and Pu(IV) eluting much later. Detection limits were 12, 8, and 4 fg for 237Np, 239Pu, and 241Am, respectively, for a 0.5 ml injection. The system was successfully used for the determination of 239Pu in NIST 4251 Human Lung and 4353 Rocky Flats Soil, with results of 570±29 and 2939±226 fg g −1, respectively, compared with a certified range of 227–951 fg g −1 for the former and a value of 3307± 248 fg g −1 for the latter.