Alternative approach to study chemical processes for the preparation of 10Be and 26Al targets for AMS

Two established separation procedures for determination of in-situ produced 10Be and 26Al in quartz by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) were used for testing of radioactive 7Be tracer and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of Al as alternative methods for monitoring of the chemical process. Overall, both methods were efficient and could serve in development, calibration, and control of the separation process. An advantage of the 7Be radioactive tracer is the possibility of non-destructive measurement of Be during the experiment as well as direct measurement of the resin in the chromatographic column. INAA had the advantage of Al determination in separation sub-samples with variable matrix composition. Despite the use of solution obtained from loess leaching with a more complex composition than typically used dissolved quartz concentrate, both separation procedures proved sufficient robustness.

Automated summary

Two established separation procedures for determining in-situ produced 10Be and 26Al in quartz were tested for their efficiency and robustness. The use of radioactive 7Be tracer allowed for non-destructive measurement of Be during the experiment, while INAA had the advantage of determining Al in separation sub-samples with variable matrix composition. Both methods proved to be sufficient in developing, calibrating, and controlling the separation process, even when using a solution with a more complex composition.