Activation Analysis

I. INSTRUMENTAL NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSES

A. Introduction

Activation analysis relies on the production of radioactive nuclides in a sample and the subsequent detection and measurement of the induced radiation. Sensitivities for nuclear reactor activation for about 70 elements range from 50 μg to 10⁻⁶ μg. In practice, however, the analyst is only exceptionally confronted with samples in which only one element to be determined becomes radioactive. Hence, the sensitivity and the accuracy of the analysis are frequently based on the ability to distinguish the radiation of the radioisotopes of interest from the other activated constituents of a sample.