Neutron activation analysis method

This section contains further two typical certification applications and a table presenting selected examples for environmental and biological RMs from major producers. This is followed by a more detailed treatment of the use of neutron activation analysis methods. 

Various other techniques have been used to determine molybdenum, including adsorption voltammetry [510], electron-paramagnetic resonance spectrometry [512], and neutron activation analysis [513,514]. EPR spectrometry is carried out on the isoamyl alcohol soluble Mo(SCN)s complex and is capable of detecting 0.46 mg/1 molybdenum in seawater. Neutron activation is carried out on the /J-naphlhoin oxime [514] complex and the pyrrolidone dithiocar-bamate and diethyldithiocarbamate complex [513]. The neutron activation analysis method [514] was capable of determining down to 0.32 xg/l of molybdenum in seawater. 

Analysis for traces of substances that act as catalysts for reactions can be both highly specific and sensitive. Calculations of the type carried out by Yatsimirskii indicate that, if the rate of a catalytic reaction can be measured spectrophoto-metrically with a change in concentration equivalent to 10 moles/1, and if the catalytic coefficient amounts to 10 cycles/min, the minimum concentration of catalyst that can be measured by following the reaction for 1 min is about 10 moles/1. Such sensitivities can be attained by few other analytical techniques. Tolg considers only mass spectroscopy, electron-probe microanalysis, and neutron-activation analysis methods applied to favorable cases to have better limits of detection than catalytic methods. 

Alian, A., Djingova, R Kroener, B, Sansoni, B 1984. The monostandard method in thermal neutron activation analysis of geological, biological and environmental materials. Fresenius Z. Anal. Chem. 319, 47-53. Alian, A., Djingova. R., Sansoni, B., 1985. Comparison of different neutron activation analysis methods for multielement analysis of geological materials. In Sansoni, B. (Ed.), Instrumentelle Multielementanalyse. VCH Publishers, Weinheim, pp. 123-132. 

Pitts SJ and Kratochvil B (1991) Statistical discrimination of flat glass fragments by instrumental neutron activation analysis methods for forensic science applications. Journal of Forensic Sciences 36 122-137. 

In order to resolve the present inconsistencies in serum and blood vanadium determination, Byrne and Versieck [81] reported a totally postirradiation radiochemical neutron activation analysis method. Their procedure was as follows After irradiating the sample for up to 12 min at a nuclear reactor neutron flux of 4 x 10 n/cm -sec the sample was transferred to a 100-mL, long-necked, silica Kjeldahl flask containing 3 mL 18 M H2SO4, 20 ji,g V carrier, and a weighed aliquot of... 

The high sensitivity of the neutron activation analysis method (10 pCi), its freedom from interferences, and the capability for simultaneous analyses for I and make the procedure a preferred method for measurements of environmental I. 

The concentration of Mn in steel can be determined by a neutron activation analysis using the method of external standards. A 1.000-g sample of an unknown steel sample and a 0.950-g sample of a standard steel known to contain 0.463% w/w Mn, are irradiated with neutrons in a nuclear reactor for 10 h. After a 40-min cooling period, the activities for gamma-ray emission were found to be 2542 cpm (counts per minute) for the unknown and 1984 cpm for the standard. What is the %w/w Mn in the unknown steel sample ... 

Methods for iodine deterrnination in foods using colorimetry (95,96), ion-selective electrodes (94,97), micro acid digestion methods (98), and gas chromatography (99) suffer some limitations such as potential interferences, possibHity of contamination, and loss during analysis. More recendy neutron activation analysis, which is probably the most sensitive analytical technique for determining iodine, has also been used (100—102). 

Comprehensive accounts of the various gravimetric, polarographic, spectrophotometric, and neutron activation analytical methods have been pubHshed (1,2,5,17,19,65—67). Sampling and analysis of biological materials and organic compounds is treated in References 60 and 68. Many analytical methods depend on the conversion of selenium in the sample to selenous acid, H2Se02, and reduction to elemental selenium when a gravimetric deterrnination is desired. 

Numerous methods have been pubUshed for the determination of trace amounts of tellurium (33—42). Instmmental analytical methods (qv) used to determine trace amounts of tellurium include atomic absorption spectrometry, flame, graphite furnace, and hydride generation inductively coupled argon plasma optical emission spectrometry inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry neutron activation analysis and spectrophotometry (see Mass spectrometry Spectroscopy, optical). Other instmmental methods include polarography, potentiometry, emission spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray fluorescence. 

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) is one of the analytical methods recommended for low level Mo determination in biological materials. 

Thorinm-232 is the only non-radiogenic thorium isotope of the U/Th decay series. Thorinm-232 enters the ocean by continental weathering and is mostly in the particulate form. Early measurements of Th were by alpha-spectrometry and required large volume samples ca. 1000 T). Not only did this make sample collection difficult, but the signal-to-noise ratio was often low and uncertain. With the development of a neutron activation analysis " and amass spectrometry method " the quality of the data greatly improved, and the required volume for mass spectrometry was reduced to less than a liter. Surface ocean waters typically have elevated concentrations of dissolved and particulate 17,3 7,62... 

This can result in a radioactive product from the A(n, t)A reaction where A is the stable element, n is a thermal neutron, A is the radioactive product of one atomic mass unit greater than A, and y is the prompt gamma ray resulting from the reaction. A is usually a beta and/or gamma emitter of reasonably long half-life. Where access to a nuclear reactor has been convenient, thermal neutron activation analysis has proven to be an extremely valuable nondestructive analytical tool and in many cases, the only method for performing specific analyses at high sensitivities... 

Although sophisticated methods may constitute the core methods for certification it is useful to include good, well executed routine methods. In order to further minimize systematic error, a conscious purposeful attempt should be made to get methods and procedures with wide-ranging and different sample preparation steps, including no decomposition as in instrumental neutron activation analysis and particle induced X-ray emission spectrometry. 

The apphed pretreatment techniques were digestion with a combination of acids in the pressurized or atmospheric mode, programmed dry ashing, microwave digestion and irradiation with thermal neutrons. The analytical methods of final determination, at least four different for each element, covered all modern plasma techniques, various AAS modes, voltammetry, instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analysis and isotope dilution MS. Each participating laboratory was requested to make a minimum of five independent rephcate determinations of each element on at least two different bottles on different days. Moreover, a series of different steps was undertaken in order to ensure that no substantial systematic errors were left undetected. 

The characteristics of radiochemical methods are well known [435]. An overview of the determination of elements by nuclear analytical methods has appeared [436]. Some selected reviews of nuclear methods of analysis are available charged particle activation analysis [437,438], instrumental neutron activation analysis [439-441] and ion-beam analysis [442]. 

Thus we shall be concerned with properties that furnish information about the nature of the ligands, the oxidation state of the metal, and the geometry of the field of ligands. Techniques such as radio-isotope tracer studies, neutron-activation analysis, and electron microscopy are powerful methods for locating a metal within constituents of the cell and are particularly suited to heavy-metal rather than organic drugs but since they do not provide information about the chemical environment of the metal they will not concern us here. After each section below we shall give an example, not necessarily from platinum chemistry, where the method has been used with success in biochemistry. 

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