Rapid dissolution of surrogate nuclear debris using ammonium bifluoride fusion and indirect sonication dissolution methods

Prompt analysis of elemental and isotopic information from post-detonation nuclear debris is critical for rapid attribution analysis. In this work, the capabilities of dissolution methods that use ammonium bifluoride (ABF, NH 4 HF 2 ) and pressurized microwave digestion with HF acid are reported for NIST Surrogate Post-detonation Urban Debris (SPUD). Elemental concentration and isotope ratios were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The SPUD material was also analyzed for U concentration using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The ABF dissolution method with a 10:1 ABF to sample ratio and the pressurized microwave digestion methods resulted in comparable results.