Molecular expertise at the CEA for nuclear safeguard: does organic matter?

• The work described here relies on organic compounds used in the nuclear cycle (extractants, diluents and specific additives) to provide a valuable information about the origin and process of nuclear materials. • When used in headspace mode, MONOTRAP is an efficient method to capture trace-level volatile and semi-volatile organic markers from small amounts (10 – 100 mg) of uranium ore concentrates (UOCs). • MONOTRAP is easy to implement in the field for control of nuclear material in the context of nuclear safeguards, without any contact with the radioactive samples, avoiding radiological contamination controls. • When combined with the high-resolution power and mass accuracy of a GC/Q-TOF mass analyzer, using both electron impact and chemical ionization and a comprehensive search against our "in-house" spectral database of "non-proliferation" organic chemical markers: this new method has the potential to facilitate the identification of nuclear production processes and thus to verify the correctness and the completeness of the declarations made by the States about their nuclear material and activities. (author)