The objective of this research is to improve methods used for actinide forensic signatures. Advances are needed, as the current approaches are laborious and slow. In addition, educational opportunities are needed to develop a pipeline of prospective radioanalytical chemists. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) offers the opportunity to develop rapid, improved actinide separations. The approach is to apply CE to rapidly: separate the trivalent lanthanides from the trivalent actinides, separate actinides by oxidation state, and pre-concentrate lanthanides and actinides. Microchip methods will also be explored, and educational activities in radioanalytical chemistry and nuclear forensics will be integrated into the research project. The intellectual merit of the proposed research is that the project will provide a foundation for our understanding of actinide solution chemistry and its potential role in microscale actinide separations. Soft-donor ligands and mixed water polar organic solvents will be explored. A broader knowledge of actinide solution chemistry is essential for translation from laboratorybased CE methods to separations that can be conducted on a microchip. The broader impacts of this project will address two critical issues. First, law enforcement, federal, and international agencies who are responsible for oversight in nuclear proliferation need improved methods for attribution that can be deployed in both the laboratory and field settings. In addition, the dearth of personnel educated in radioanalytical chemistry and actinide chemistry, is well documented. Successful completion of this project will address both of these needs
