One step U-Pu-Cs-Ln-steel separation using TRU preconditioned extraction resins from Eichrom for application on transmutation targets.

A one step Cs, lanthanides (Ln), Pu and U separation using TRU resin (Eichrom), for subsequent isotopic analyses, is presented for samples of transmutation targets containing a predominant matrix of steel elements. Cs, Ln, Pu and U are successively eluted using minor volumes (<12 mL) of 2M HNO3, 4M HCl, 0.075M oxalic acid in 1M HCl media and 0.1M ammonium hydrogen oxalate in 0.02M HNO3 media, respectively. Accurate and precise isotopic compositions obtained for these elements by thermal ionization mass spectrometry or multiple collector inductively coupled mass spectrometry show neither significant fractionation nor contamination during the complete analytical process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]