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

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.