Determination of ²³⁸U in Marine Organisms by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Determination of ²³⁸U in fifty-five species of marine organisms was carried out by inductive-ly coupled plasma mass spectrometry which showed some advantages such as high sensitivity, wide dynamic range and small interferences from matrices for the analysis of high mass elements. The concentrations of ²³⁸U in soft tissues of marine animals ranged from 0.076 to 5000ng/g wet wt. Especially, the branchial heart of cephalopod molluscs showed the specific accumulation of ²³⁸U. The concentration factor of the branchial heart of Octopus vulgaris, which indicated the highest value, was calculated to be about 10³ by comparing it with the concentration of ²³⁸U (3.2±0.2ng/ml) in coastal seawaters of Japan.
The concentrations of ²³⁸U in hard tissues of marine invertebrates were similar to those in soft tissues. In contrast, hard tissues like bone, scale, fin, etc. of fishes showed much higher concentrations of ²³⁸U than soft tissues like muscle and liver. The concentrations of ²³⁸U of twenty species of algae ranged from 10 to 3700ng/g dry wt.