In order to perform radiochemical analysis, solution phase separations have proved to be a necessary and established process to the development of nuclear forensics.  Previous methods to separate fission and activation products that are formed in post-detonation events have been slow, tedious processes; therefore, it is crucial to develop new techniques that allow for faster, more efficient separation of fission and activation products.  This work involves utilizing gas thermochromatographic separations of rare earth elements (REEs), heavy transition metals (Z &gt; 72), thorium, and uranium followed by subsequent detection by inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ICP-TOF-MS). The separations will be compared to previously researched separation data. The continuation of this method will involve the examination of the light fission products of uranium, such as yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), and molybdenum (Mo). These surrogate fission products will be combined with 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetyl-acetonate (Hfac) to produce volatile fission products. Experimental characterization of these products with FT-IR, P-XRD, ICP-TOF-MS, and melting point analysis will be discussed. This method of rapid separation provides elemental and isotopic composition information for a given sample and can be used to optimize the isolation of fission and activation products in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear explosion. Furthermore, this work applies to the necessity for rapid separation and analysis of short-lived isotopes used in the radiopharmaceutical and nuclear medicine community.

Synthesis and characterization of 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetyl-acetonate compounds for rapid thermochromatographic separations of light nuclear fission products

251st National Meeting (2016)

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