Production date determination of uranium-oxide materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

The paper describes analytical methods developed for the production date determination of uranium-based nuclear materials by the measurement of 230Th/234U isotope ratio. An improved sample preparation method for the destructive analysis involving extraction chromatographic separation with TEVA resin was applied prior to the measurement by isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS). The results obtained were compared with the direct, quasi-non-destructive measurement using laser ablation ICP-SFMS technique for age determination. The advantages and limitations of both methods are discussed.