Determination of alpha activity in solid samples by leaching or digestion

• Acid leaching and microwave digestion methods for solid samples are compared.
• Both techniques are applied to uranium, radium, or polonium in solid samples.
• Results using both procedures were similar with high statistical correlation.

The analysis of solid environmental samples by α-particle spectrometry generally involves processes requiring an initial treatment to destroy the complexes in the matrix, and dissolve the radionuclides of interest. This study compared the activities obtained for several natural radionuclides (238U, 234U, 230Th, 226Ra, and 210Po) in previously well-characterized materials, using two procedures: acid leaching and digestion in a microwave oven. The measured activities were in general very similar for the two procedures, with a strong statistical correlation between the two sets of values.