Extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for uranium chemistry studies.

Uranium chemistry is of sustainable interest. Breakthroughs in uranium studies make serious impacts in many fields including chemistry, physics, energy and biology, because uranium plays fundamentally important roles in these fields. Substantial progress in uranium studies normally requires development of novel analytical tools. Extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EESI-MS) is a sensitive technique for trace detection of various analytes in complex matrices without sample pretreatment. EESI-MS shows excellent performance for monitoring uranium species in various samples at trace levels since it tolerates extremely complex matrices. Therefore, EESI-MS is an alternative choice for studying uranium chemistry, especially when it combines ion trap mass spectrometry. In this presentation, three examples of EESI-MS for uranium chemistry studies will be given, illustrating the potential applications of EESI-MS in synthesis chemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical chemistry of uranium. More specifically, case studies on EESI-MS for synthesis and characterization of novel uranium species, and for rapid detection of uranium and its isotope ratios in various samples will be presented. Novel methods based on EESI-MS for screening uranium ores and radioactive iodine-129 will be presented.