Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Detection and quantification of the aquo ions of Pu in 1 M HClO4 was carried out using a 1-meter liquid core waveguide (LCW) coupled to a fiber optic UV-Vis spectrometer. Detection limits of 7 x 10-7 M for Pu(VI), 1.6 x 10-5 M for Pu(V), 5 x 10-6 M for Pu(IV) and 8 x 10-6 M for Pu(III) were achieved. The limits of detection represent increases of 18 to 33 times those achievable using a conventional 1-cm path length. Because of the much lower detection limits of the LCW, routine identification of the oxidation states in dilute Pu solutions can be made.