Determination of the Isotopic Composition of Zirconium Using MC-ICPMS and a Regression Model for Mass Bias Correction

Abstract

Measurements of zirconium isotopes provide insights into the formation of planetary bodies, dating nuclear explosions, or maintenance of nuclear reactors. Although many comparative measurements for the isotopic composition of zirconium have been performed using mass spectrometry, there is a lack of zirconium isotopic reference materials and only a single calibrated measurement has been reported to date by total evaporation thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TE-TIMS). In this study, we report an independent measurement of full zirconium isotopic composition in a new zirconium isotopic reference material by multicollector inductively coupled plasma MS using the regression method and two independent certified isotopic reference materials, NIST SRM 984 Rb and NIST SRM 987 Sr. Our results agree well with the recent TE-TIMS measurements and suggest a revision of the standard atomic weight of zirconium.