Age determination analysis of a single uranium particle for safeguards
Suzuki, Daisuke
; Tomita, Ryohei
; Tomita, Jumpei
; Esaka, Fumitaka
; Yasuda, Kenichiro
; Miyamoto, Yutaka

An analytical technique was developed to determine the age of uranium particles for safeguards. After the chemical separation of uranium and thorium, the
Th/
U ratio was measured using single-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and a
U-based reference material comprising a certain amount of
Th as a progeny nuclide of
U. The results allowed us to determine the purification age of two certified materials, i.e., U-850 and U-100, which was in good agreement with the reference purification age (61 y). Moreover, the age of a single U-850 particle was determined with a difference of -28 to 2 years from the reference date.