Radiochemistry

What is radiochemistry?

“The chemical study of radioactive elements, both natural and anthropogenic, and their use in the study of chemical process” – American Chemical Society
Radiochemistry involves the use of radioactive elements for various field of study. One common application of radiochemistry is dating of archaeological finds.

Important events that lead to importance of radiochemistry

Date of event: August 6 and August 9, 1945
Little boy: Hiroshima and Fat man: Nagasaki

The detonation of the atomic bomb has led to background levels of 235U, 239Pu and 240Pu. Due to the disastrous effect of such atomic Bombs, the production of nuclear weapons became controversial. Therefore, possession of nuclear materials became sensitive and led to the need to find important signatures (forensic) for unfriendly use of such materials.

Atomic bomb mushroom clouds
over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)

Date of event: 26 April, 1986
Chernobyl disaster

It is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history and is one of only two nuclear energy disasters rated at seven—the maximum severity—on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the other being the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan.

During nuclear power plant accidents, unintentional release of radionuclides leads to presence of radioactivity in our environment. This poses health risk and thus is crucial for stakeholders to understand the scale of contamination. This is done through analysis of the contamination site (soil, water and livestock).

Singapore does not have a nuclear power plant, however, it is important for us to understand how nuclear accidents and events affect our environment. There are three research areas in SNRSI that are of interest 1) Radioanalytical and analytical method developments for radioactivity measurements 2) Environmental radioactivity and radioecology studies 3) Nuclear forensics. The radiochemistry group is also active in the IAEA worldwide proficiency tests and proficiency tests organized by Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN).

Radioanalytical and analytical method developments for radioactivity measurement
A robust and rapid detection technique is crucial for analysis that serves monitoring and emergency purposes. Therefore, the radiochemistry group in SNRSI aims to develop techniques that provide quality data for both low and environmental levels. Radiometric techniques measure emitted radiation which relays to the amount of radioactive isotopes present. On the other hand, non-radiometric techniques (commonly known as analytical instruments) measure the isotope of interest present in the sample directly. One of our main aim is to harmonise both techniques, allowing confident and accurate results. This is done by thorough comparison of the various available techniques and exploring various sample preparation techniques that allow efficient analysis.
Environmental radioactivity and radioecology studies
Due to Singapore’s urban environment, there is a need to understand the transport of radionuclides in urban matrices such as concrete and asphalt which covers more than 12 % of Singapore’s precious land area (as of 2012). With the support of our interests in developing measurement technique, the group aims to utilise the current development in laser ablation and mass spectrometric for current study of radionuclides deposition in asphalt.

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