Rapid environmental analysis using molten salt fusion sample preparation

Abstract For the analysis of the isotopic composition of environmental samples, including transuranic materials there are many methods that exist. This paper describes the development of a high throughput method, which involves dissolving a soil into an aqueous matrix, producing a homogenous mixture, and separating radionuclides to enable the identification of specific isotopes. A standard method was modified via changes in oxidation, chemical exchange, decomposition, or rearrangements to form constituents that are more soluble in acidic aqueous solutions. To accomplish this, a molten-salt fusion, dissolution in dilutes nitric or hydrochloric acids, with subsequent separation using ion exchange, direct deposition, and counting by alpha-spectrometry was used. This method is ideal for silicate samples, but can be modified to accommodate more complex soil samples.