Determination of {sup 233}U by inductively coupled argon plasma - atomic emission spectrometry

The paper describes studies carried out for the determination of {sup 233}U at various stages during the recovery and purification of {sup 233}U from {sup 233}U-Al alloy scraps generated during the fabrication of {sup 233}U-Al alloy fuel. Employing a high resolution sequential spectrometer and Inductively Coupled argon Plasma (ICP) as the spectral excitation source, isotope shift for {sup 233}U with respect to {sup 238}U has been resolved and recorded. The shift for the 424.437 nm emission line of {sup 238}U is found to be of the order of 0.040 nm on the lower wavelength side for {sup 233}U and this isotopic effect has been utilised for the quantitative determination of {sup 233}U. The overall precision of the method is 5% RSD with the detection limit of 0.01 {mu}g/ml.