Rapid determination of Pu isotopes in soil and sediment samples by sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

In this study, a new chemical separation method was developed for rapid determination of Pu in soil and sediment samples, based on the following investigations: extraction behaviors of interfering elements for ICPMS measurement on TEVA resin; decontamination of U using TEVA, UTEVA and DGA resins and the impact of co-precipitation on Pu determination. The developed method consists of four steps: HNO3 leaching for Pu release; CaF2/LaF3 co-precipitation for the removal of major metals and U; the TEVA+UTEVA+DGA procedure for the removal of U, Pb, Bi, Tl, Hg, Hf, Pt and Dy; and ICPMS measurement. The developed analytical method was applied to the study of distribution of Pu isotopes in Japanese upland soils