Nuclear analytical methods

Alfassi (ed.), Non-Destructive Elemental Analysis, Black-well Publishing, Oxford (2001). 

Kantele and J. Aysto, Handbook of Nuclear Spectrometry, Academic Press, London (1995). 

Alfassi and C. Chung (eds), Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL (1995). 

Winefordner and I.M. Kolthoff (eds), Activation Spectrometry in Chemical Analysis, Wiley-Interscience, New York, NY (1991). 

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PIXE is not a true nuclear analytical method, because it is based on the interaction of fast ions with the electron clouds of the atoms. In fact, PIXE is based on X-ray... 

Although following similar nuclear reaction schemes, nuclear analytical methods (NAMs) comprise bulk analysing capability (neutron and photon activation analysis, NAA and PAA, respectively), as well as detection power in near-surface regions of solids (ion-beam analysis, IB A). NAMs aiming at the determination of elements are based on the interaction of nuclear particles with atomic nuclei. They are nuclide specific in most cases. As the electronic shell of the atom does not participate in the principal physical process, the chemical bonding status of the element is of no relevance. The general scheme of a nuclear interaction is ... 

Prominent NAMs are NAA, PAA, RBS and PIXE. Actually, PIXE is not a true nuclear analytical method, because it is based on the interaction of fast ions with the electron clouds of the atoms. A suitable combination of NAMs allows all elements of the periodic table to be studied. PAA is especially suitable for the determination of light elements, whereas NAA, RBS and PIXE detect medium and heavy elements very well. 

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]. 

Radiochemistry is defined as the chemical study of radioactive elements, both natural and artificial, and their use in the study of chemical processes (Random House Dictionary, 1984). Operationally, radiochemistry is defined by the activities of radiochemists, that is, (a) nuclear analytical methods, (b) the application of radionuclides in areas outside of chemistry, such as medicine, (c) the physics and chemistry of the radioelements, (d) the physics and chemistry of high-activity-level matter, and (e) radiotracer studies. We have dealt with several of these topics in Chapters 4, 13, 15, and 16. In this chapter, we will discuss the basic principles behind radiochemical techniques and some details of their application. 

Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Methods, Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, Dorodna 16, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland e-mail r.dybczynski ichtj.waw.pl... 

Yoon YY and Kucera J (1994) A survey of trace elements in fresh-water fish and rice along the Han river by neutron activation analysis. Proceedings of the international conference on nuclear analytical methods in the life sciences. Biol Trace Element Res 43-45 229-237. 

Jagimovig R and Hoevat M (2003) Determination of total mercury in environmental and biological samples using k -lNAA, RNAA and CVAcAS/AFS techniques advantages and disadvantages. Proceedings, 7th International Conference on Nuclear Analytical Methods in the Life Sciences, Antalya 16 -21 June 2002. J Radioanal Nucl Chem, in press. 

Nuclear Analytical Methods Group oe the National Institute oe Standards and Technology (RR Greenberg, group leader) URL (created 2002 Nov 21 updated 2003 April 15), www.cstl.nist.gOv/nist839/839.05/techm-ques.html. 

Weise H-P, Goenee W and Hedeich M (2001) Determination of elements by nuclear analytical methods. Fresenius J Anal Chem 369 8-14. 

Nuclear analytical methods, particularly activation analysis and radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis are frequently used in the analysis of atmospheric aerosols. 

Among other methods for determining trace and toxic elements in the soil, there are also electro-chemical analytical methods, mainly polarogra-phy and in the case of nuclear analytical methods, activation analysis and radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis are employed. Mass spectrometry, laser emission spectral microanalysis and other instrumental methods can also be used. 

Dietary assessment methods, total diet studies, and the duplicate portion method are evaluated with regard to their adequacy for obtaining iodine intake data. The advantages and shortcomings of catalytic spectrophoto-metric methods, nuclear analytical methods, spectromet-ric, electrochemical, and other techniques, which are used for the determination of iodine in foodsmffs and related materials, are reviewed. 

With the development of analytical techniques, new methods for iodine determination in biological materials and foodstuffs became available. These newer techniques mostly involve nuclear analytical methods and various types of spectrometric, chromatographic, and electrochemical techniques. 

Manganese 0.01 0.6 16 Revet G (1987) Comparison of Nuclear Analytical Methods with ... 

For most charged particle-induced reactions the atomic number of the radionucHde B is different from that of the analyte element A. This is the case for (p,n), (p,a), (d,n), (d,a), ( He,n), ( He,d), (o,n), and (a,d) reactions, but not for (p,d) and ( He,a) reactions. The radiochemical separation to be developed for CPAA is thus different from that for all non-nuclear analytical methods and for some other methods based on activation analysis, such as thermal- and fast-NAA (using the (n,y) and (n,2n) reactions, respectively) and PAA (using the ( y,n) reaction). Also, in principle, it is not necessary to separate the matrix, but rather the radionuclide(s) formed out of the matrix element(s). Again, the atomic number of the radionuclide(s) is usually different from that of the matrix element(s). Owing to the chemical separation involved, CPAA is considered to be an independent analytical method, not subject to the same systematic errors as other analytical methods. 

A prominent feature of nuclear analytical methods is the capability of simultaneous multielement analysis. Activation of a sample will induce activity in many elements contained in the sample. Optimized irradiation and counting cycles involving a combination of various NAA procedures applied to a sample of coal have produced results for more than 50 elements (Germani et al. 1980). The analysis of 20-25 elements in biological and environmental materials can be regarded as routine for INAA (Becker et al. 1994). 

K. Heydom, in Nuclear Analytical Methods in the Life Sciences (R. Zeisler and V. P. Guinn, eds.), Humana Press, Clifton, New Jersey, 1990, p. 541. 

Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Methods Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology Warsaw, Poland... 

The effect of iodine deficiency on the distribution of Cu, Fe and Zn in different regions and subcellular fractions of the brain of the developing rat was studied by means of nuclear analytical methods... 

H. Verma, Atomic and Nuclear Analytical Methods XRF, Mdssbauer, XPS, NAA and Ion-beam Spectroscopic Techniques, Berlin, Springer Verlag, 2007. 

The possibility of using non-activated carriers to isolate these radioisotopes is an additional advantage of nuclear analytical methods. 

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