THERMAL NEUTRON ACTIVATION DETERMINATION OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN WATERS AND OTHER LIQUIDS BY FORMATION OF SHORT-LIVED ISOTOPES

Thermal neutron activation was used to determine the concentration of Na, Mg, and Cl in the water of Leman lake and of Na in blood and urine. The steps in the determination are the evaporation, irradiation of a fraction of the residue, irradiation of a standard, and gamma spectroscopy. The values found for the lake water were 1.4 to 1.6 mg/l for Cl, 4.4 to 4.6 mg/l for Mg, and 2.0 to 2.1 mg/l for sodium. 270 mg of Na/100 ml of blood and 220 mg/50 ml of urine were also detected. These are in good agreement with the values in the literature. The sensitivity of the method is indicated. (J.S.R.)