Biological chemistry of aluminium studied using 26Al and accelerator mass spectrometry

Abstract Developments in sample preparation and presentation for accelerator mass spectrometry now permit the determination of 26 Al/ 27 Al ratios in biological materials with an accuracy of ca. 2%. We describe the use of 26 Al as a tracer for aluminium, in a number of biological experiments which demonstrate the power of this technique to determine Al content and distribution within complex chemical and biological systems, and to investigate the kinetics and mechanisms of Al-transport pathways. Applications to human, animal and cellular systems are described.