Abstract
The study of halogens particularly bromine and chlorine in Arctic aerosolshas received a great deal of attention in the past decade in ozone depletionduring polar sunrise studies. Iodine has also been studied as part of geochemicalcycling. We have shown that all three of the above elements can be determinedsimultaneously with very low detection limits using epithermal NAA in conjunctionwith Compton suppression methods. Besides lowering the background considerably,Compton suppression can eliminate or minimize the overlapping peak of the620 keV photopeak arising form the 1642 keV double escape peak of 38Cl interfering with the 616.9 keV photopeak of 79Br(n,γ) 80 Br reaction. Iodine is ideally determined by epithermal NAAbecause of its very good resonance integral cross-section. Although chlorineis usually determined using thermal neutrons via the 37Cl(n,γ) 38Cl reactions, epithermal NAA is still feasible for the Arcticaerosol, since it has a major sea-salt component.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
L. A. Barrie,J. W. Bottenheim,R. C. Schnell,P. J. Crutzen,R. A. Rasmussen, Nature, 334 (1988) 138.
J. C. McConell,G. S. Henderson,L. Barrie,J. Bottenheim,H. NIKI,C. H. Langford,E. M. J. Templeton, Nature, 355 (1992) 150.
S. L. Gong,J. L. Walmsley,L. A. Barrie,J. F. Hopper, Atmos. Environ., 31 (1997) 969.
L. A. BARRIE,R. M. HOFF, Atmos. Environ., 18 (1984) 2711.
W. T. Sturges,L. A. Barrie, Atmos. Environ., 22 (1988) 1179.
P. A. Aria,H. Niki,G. W. Harris,K. G. Anlauf,D. E. J. Worthy, Atmos. Environ., 33 (1999) 931.
S. Landsberger,P. K. Hopke,M. D. Cheng, Nucl. Sci. Eng., 110 (1992) 79.
S. R. Biegalski,S. Landsberger, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., 192 (1995) 195.
S. Landsberger,W. D. Cizek,P. Domagala, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., 160 (1992) 277.
S. Landsberger,W. D. Cizek,R. H. Campbell, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 180 (1994) 55.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Landsberger, S., Basunia, M. & Ikander, F. Halogen determination in Arctic aerosols by neutron activation analysis with Compton suppression methods. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 249, 303–305 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013277427084
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013277427084