Beryllium-7 as a tracer of stratospheric ozone: A case study

A new method is presented for the determination of Au and Pt in biological materials based on neutron activation analysis with radiochemical separation of gold. Separation of gold by electrolytic deposition on a niobium cathode ascertains the highest radiochemical purity without any interference from calcium or other major elements. With¹⁹⁹Au as indicator for platinum the gold content of the sample not only strongly affects the limit of detection, but also causes interference by double neutron capture. Replicate analyses of BCR Certified Reference Materials No. 184, 185 and 186 were carried out.Presented at the MTAA-8 Conference, September 16–20, 1991, Vienna, Austria.