Determination of ruthenium in borosilicate glasses by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract

Ruthenium quantities in borosilicate glasses, used in vitrification process to nuclear waste immobilization, is uncertain due to the volatility of ruthenium oxide. In this work, a quantitative method was developed to determinate the content of ruthenium in the borosilicate glasses containing nuclear waste tracer nuclides by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The research showed that the ruthenium in borosilicate glasses can be completely decomposed by NaOH at 350 °C for 8 h. A recovery of no less than 95% and a detection limit of 0.4 mg kg⁻¹ were obtained. The method has been successfully applied for the determination of actual samples.