Abstract
A neutron activation, ion exchange group separation and iterative least squares γ-ray spectroscopy method has been evaluated. This technique is suitable for multiple trace element analysis in a wide range of biological and environmental materials, since the major contaminants,24Na,32P, and42K, are removed by an anion exchange resin and do not interfere with the analysis of the majority of the trace elements present. The iterative least squares method was tested with a mixture of standards. The reproducibility and accuracy varied from 3 to 26%. The larger uncertainties resulted from (1) the limited statistical accuracy associated with a low counting rate, and (2) bias introduced by the contaminants in the library of standard spectra even though radiochemical purity exceeded 99.8%. The rigorous least squares method can accurately compensate for instrumental drifts so that the sensitivity approaches the limit imposed by the statistical accuracy of the data and of the standard spectra. Minor components of the complex γ-spectrum were resolved and proved to be present at levels as low as 0.8% of the integral counting rate.
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Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
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Edgington, D.N., Lucas, H.F. A system for the neutron activation analysis of trace elements in samples of biological and environmental interest. J. Radioanal. Chem. 5, 233–250 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02513841
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02513841