Neutron activation analysis reference materials

Byrne AR 1993) Review of neutron activation analysis in the standardization and study of ref erence materials including its application to radionuclide reference materials. Fresenius J Anal Chem 345 144-151. 

Kucera j, Soukal L (1988) Homogeneity tests and certification analyses of coal fly ash reference materials by instrumental neutron activation analysis. J Radioanal Nucl Chem Articles 121 245-259. 

Tu Shu-Db, Lieser KH (1984) Homogeneity test of Chinese biological standard reference materials by means of instrumental neutron activation analysis, f Radioanal Nucl Chem Articles 84 301-306. 

Byrne AR, and Versieck J (1990) Vanadium determination at the ultratrace level in biological reference materials and serum by radiochemical neutron activation analysis. Biol Trace Elem Res 27 529-540. 

Byrne AR, Deemelj M, Kosta L, and Tusek-Znidaric M (1984) Radiochemical neutron activation analysis in standardization of trace elements in biological reference materials at the nanogram level. Mikrochim Acta [Wien] 1 119-126. 

Delfanti R, Di Casa M, Gallorini M, and Orvini E (1984) Five years activity in determining trace elements for the certification of standard reference materials by neutron activation analysis. Mikrochim Acta [Wien] L239-250. 

Kucera j (1995) Elemental characterization of new Polish and US NIST geological, environmental and biological reference materials by neutron activation analysis and comments on the methodology of interlaboratory comparisons. Chem Anal (Warsaw) 40 405-421. 

Kucera J, and Soukal L (1993) Determination of As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mo, Sb and Se in biological reference materials by radiochemical neutron activation analysis. J Radioanal Nud Chem 168 185-199. 

Kucera J, and Soukal L (1998) Low uncertainty determination of manganese and vanadium in environmental and biological reference materials by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Fresenius J Anal Chem 360 415-418. 

Some of the methods commonly used for the determination of thorium in biological materials are given in Table 6-1. The colorimetric methods are not capable of isotope-specific determination of thorium isotopes. Alpha spectrometric and neutron activation analysis are useful in the quantification of isotope-specific thorium and thorium-232, respectively, and have better sensitivities than colorimetric methods. Alpha spectrometry is the commonly used isotope-specific analysis for the determination of thorium-232 and the thorium-230 derived from the decay of uranium-238 (Wrenn et al. 1981). Standard reference materials (SRMs) containing thorium in human liver (SRM-4352) and human lung (SRM-4351) necessary for the determination of absolute recovery in a given sample are available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Inn 1987). 

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was conducted at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). Samples of approximately 50-100 mg were subjected to long and short irradiations using the same methodology used on pottery and other materials with appropriate reference standards (23). The analysis provided abundances of 33 elements for 72 samples. 

Certain techniques such as neutron activation analysis and stable isotope dilution analysis offer very powerful and sensitive methods for the determination of trace metals, but involve considerable effort and access to extensive facilities and so are not suited for routine laboratory determinations. However, they have been used to determine trace metal levels accurately in homogeneous biological materials, which are now used as reference materials for other techniques. 

Dyhczynski, R., Kulisa, K., Polkowska-Motrenko, H., Samczynski, Z., Szopa, Z., Wasek, M. Neutron activation analysis as a tool for checking homogeneity of certified reference materials. Chem. Anal. (Warsaw) 42, 815-825 (1997)... 

Garuti, G., Meloni, S., Oddone, M. Neutron activation analysis of platinum group elements and gold in reference materials a comparison of two methods. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 245, 17-23 (2000)... 

Suzuki S, Hirai S. 1987. Instrumental neutron activation analysis of vehicle exhaust particulates as environmental reference material. Anal Sci 3 193-197. 

The availability of high flux thermal neutron irradiation facilities and high resolution intrinsic Ge and lithium drifted germanium (Ge(Li)) or silicon (Si(Li)) detectors has made neutron activation a very attractive tool for determining trace elemental composition of petroleum and petroleum products. This analytical technique is generally referred to as instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to distinguish it from neutron activation followed by radiochemical separations. INAA can be used as a multi-elemental method with high sensitivity for many trace elements (Table 3.IV), and it has been applied to various petroleum materials in recent years (45-55). In some instances as many as 30 trace elements have been identified and measured in crude oils by this technique (56, 57). 

Grffnbfrg RR (1986), Elemental characterization of the National Bureau of Standards Milk Powder Standard Reference Material by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Anal Chem 58 2511-2516. 

Grffnbfrg RR, Zfislfr R, Kingston HM and Sullivan TM (1988) Neutron activation analysis of the NIST Bovine Serum Standard Reference Material using chemical separations. Fresenius J Anal Chem 332 652-656. 

RM Reference Material RNA ribonucleic acid (structural element of the cytoplasm and cell nucleus), consisting of D-ribose sugar, the nitrogenous bases adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil. There are three different types transfer RNA, messenger RNA and ribosomal RNA RNAA radiochemical neutron activation analysis (post irradiation radiochemical separation)... 

One final important application may be added the role of neutron activation analysis in the certification of biological reference materials. The experience with Bowen s kale powder was reviewed by the investigator in 1975 (Bowen, 1975), the contribution to the NBS Standard Reference Materials (SRM s) program was commented recently by Greenberg (1987). In the case of the second-generation biological reference material issued by Versieck and coileagues (Versieck et al., 1988), approximately 45% of the results used for certification were obtained by neutron activation analysis. 

Greenberg, R.R. (1987). The role of neutron activation analysis in the certification of NBS standard reference materials, J. Radioanai. Nucl. Chem. 113,1987. 

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