Sensitivity of DF-ICP-MS, PERALS and alpha-spectrometry for the determination of actinides. A comparison

We applied three techniques (DF-ICP-MS, PERALS and alpha-spectrometry) for the determination of minor actinides at environmental levels. For each method the limit of detection and the resolution were estimated in order to study the content and isotopic composition of the actinides. Two international reference materials, IAEA-135 (Irish Sea Sediment) and IAEA-300 (Baltic Sea sediment) were analyzed for activity concentrations of ²³⁸Pu, ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, ²⁴¹Pu and ²⁴¹Am. The sensitivities of the three determination techniques were compared. (author)