In Nuclear Forensics, nuclear or radiological materials are characterized by their physical, chemical, isotopic, microstructural, and morphological properties.  Techniques and information determined through characterization of materials allow for government and international agencies to correctly trace the origin of nuclear or radiological materials seized, or dispersed into the environment. Presently, little data exists on the effect of prompt fast-neutron activation on many common metals in the urban environment and detonation device such as titanium.  Activated titanium needs to be separated under known conditions so as to provide baseline data of what is present in the urban environment and how the metal may change from activation. Extraction chromatography is being employed to separate concentrations of scandium (46Sc, 47Sc, and 48Sc) from activated stable titanium (46Ti, 47Ti, 48Ti, 49Ti, and 50Ti) enabling determination of n-p cross section values.  The retention of scandium (III) and titanium (IV) in ppm quantities was measured in hydrochloric and nitric acid matrices using Eichrom's Ln and DGA resins. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) were used to measure concentrations of analytes left in solution after extraction occurred.    Using Eichrom's Ln resin, scandium was found to almost entirely adsorb in both matrices with a k' of ~8000 where k' is the number of free column volumes to peak maximum or resin capacity factor.  However, significant titanium quantities adhered as well preventing a pure separation.   As the pH of the solutions were lowered from concentrated to 0.1 M, the k' value of titanium decreased to ~10-20 in both acid matrices while scandium's k' stayed constant.   A purer separation is needed where titanium has a k' below 1.  Further work will be employed using Eichrom's DGA resin in both matrices. Once a high purity separation is completed, the process will be scaled up to gram quantities.

Chromatographic separation of fast neutron activated titanium for post-detonation nuclear forensic analysis

248th National Meeting (2014)

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