Uranium age dating measurements by laser ablation multi-collector ICP-MS in uranium materials

The aim of the present work was to develop a direct method for age dating (production date measurement) of uranium samples by laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) by the measurement of the ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U ratio. The major instrumental conditions and sample characteristics affecting the accuracy and precision were investigated in this systematic study. By comparing the obtained LA-MC-ICP-MS results with those obtained after chemical separation measurements, it shows that the LA-MC-ICP-MS method is capable to produce accurate results for pure highly enriched uranium. Natural and low-enriched uranium, however, needs a higher mass resolution to remove the identified interferences, which can lead to erroneous results. (author)