Destructive and nondestructive analysis of some elements in tissue and environmental samples by thermal neutron activation analysis technique

A rapid and selective method has been developed and applied for determining elements present in tissue and environmental samples by both destructive and nondestructive activation analysis. Nondestructive activation analysis involves the irradiation of the sample and standard of the elements such as Mn, Na, and K with thermal neutrons from²⁵²Cf neutron source followed by radioassay of the (n,r) products on a HPGe detector coupled to a PC-based MCA. Elements are determined by irradiating the samples in the thermal neutron flux of the CIRUS reactor and radiochemically separating the isotopes of interest using substoichiometric extraction and precipitation technique. The statistical evaluation of the method with respect to accuracy and precision of the method and its sensitivity are discussed.     

Nondestructive neutron activation analysis of rare earth elements in hot spring water samples in Kusatsu-shirane area,Japan

Hot spring water samples have been analyzed for their rare earth elements (REE's) determination by the nondestructive neutron activation method. Five REE's, La, Ce, Sm, Eu and Yb, have consequently been detected and determined with satisfactory precision. The method has been found to be simple and suited for the simultaneous analyses of several samples. To determine all the REE's, however, some pretreatment of the samples will be necessary.     

Wet-chemical analysis and determination of trace elements by neutron activation in meteorites

As a contribution to the cosmochemical distribution of elements, 35 meteorites of the collections of the Museum of Natural History in Vienna, the Mineralogical-Petrographical Institute and the Analytical Institute of the University of Vienna were analyzed. In the meteorites main and minor constituents were determined by wet-chemical methods, whereas for the determination of about 16 trace elements neutron activation analysis was employed. This paper has been dedicated to Prof. Dr.J. W. Breitenbach on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Simultaneous determination of bismuth and tellurium in steels by high power nitrogen microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry coupled with the hydride generation technique

An annular-shaped, high power nitrogen microwave induced plasma (N₂-MIP) produced at atmospheric pressure by an Okamoto cavity, as a new excitation source for atomic emission spectrometry (AES), has been used for the simultaneous determination of bismuth and tellurium in steels with the hydride generation method. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the best attainable detection limits at the Bi I 195.389 nm and Te I 200.200 nm lines were 110 and 86 ng/ml for bismuth and tellurium, respectively. The linear dynamic ranges for bismuth and tellurium were 300 to 30,000 ng/ml. The presence of several diverse elements was found to cause a more or less depressing interference with the proposed technique. When bismuth and tellurium in steels were determined, a large amount of Fe(III) in the solution caused a severe depressing interference, while the presence of Fe(II) showed little or no significant interference. Of the several interference-releasing agents examined, l-ascorbic acid was found to be the most preferable to reduce Fe(III) to Fe(II) prior to hydride generation. The concentrations of bismuth and tellurium in steels were determined by the proposed technique. The results obtained by this method were in good agreement with their certified values.     

Multielement determination in tobacco leaves by photon activation analysis

A nondestructive photon activation procedure with 30 MeV bremsstrahlung followed by high-resolution gamma-spectrometry has been applied to the multielement determination in tobacco leaves and commercial cigarettes. The elements determined by this method included essential minor elements such as Ca, Cl, K and Mg, essential trace elements such as Fe, Mn and Zn, and possibly toxic elements such As and Sb. The NBS Orchard Leaves could successfully be used as a comparative standard. The method is quite simple and gives good reproducible results for at least 12 elements.     

A complex neutron activation method for the analysis of biological materials

The aim of the present work was to deal primarily with a few essential trace elements and to obtain reliable results of adequate accuracy and precision for the analysis of biological samples. A few other than trace elements were determined by the nondestructive technique as they can be well evaluated from the gamma-spectra. In the development of the method BOWEN's kale was chosen as model material. To confirm the reliability of the method two samples were analysed proposed by the IAEA in the frame of an international comparative analysis series. The comparative analysis shows the present method to be reliable, the precision and accuracy are good.     

INAA of trace impurities in aluminium clads

As a contribution to nondestructive neutron assay of reactor grade aluminium, a number of elements have been investigated qualitatively and quantiatively using a vertical channel in the IRT-5000 reactor with a thermal neutron flux of 7.6·10¹²n·cm^–2·s^–1. The -ray spectra of irradiated samples were analysed with a 30 cm³ Ge(Li) detector connected to an HP-computer and a 4096 channel analyser. The following impurities have been determined: Sc, Ca, Cr, Fe, Ni, Co, Zn, As, Sb, W, Au, Th and U, while Lu and Hf have been determined qualitatively only.     

Determination of trace elements in soil and plants in the Orontes basin of Syria by using instrumental neutron activation analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) have been used for the determination of some major, minor and trace elements (As, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Sb, Sc, Ce, Ti, Fe, Mn and V) in various plant leaves together with their soil. The accuracy of the measurements have been evaluated by analyzing a number of plant and soil reference materials, precision have been estimated by triplicate analysis of the sample as well as that of the reference material. The obtained accurate and reliable data of some trace elements on microgram level for plants and soil will serve as baseline values and will be helpful to monitor the changes in the trace element content of soil and plant leaves.The authors are thankful to Prof. I. Othman General Director of AECS for his encouragement and his support.     

Determination of trace elements in soil and plants in the Orontes basin of Syria by using instrumental neutron activation analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) have been used for the determination of some major, minor and trace elements (As, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Sb, Sc, Ce, Ti, Fe, Mn and V) in various plant leaves together with their soil. The accuracy of the measurements have been evaluated by analyzing a number of plant and soil reference materials, precision have been estimated by triplicate analysis of the sample as well as that of the reference material. The obtained accurate and reliable data of some trace elements on microgram level for plants and soil will serve as baseline values and will be helpful to monitor the changes in the trace element content of soil and plant leaves.The authors are thankful to Prof. I. Othman General Director of AECS for his encouragement and his support.     

Gamma-ray spectrometric analysis of neutron irradiated golden sands

A nondestructive method has been used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of elements such as Au, Cu, Ag in minerals and especially in golden sand. The induced radioactivity has been analyzed with a high resolution gamma spectrometer containing a Ge(Li) semiconductor detector type and a multichannel analyzer. The samples have been collected from the alluvia of the Mure? and Some?ul Mic river basins, proving the presence of gold and copper in small concentrations. These results have been correlated to previous data showing the existence of some gold mines in these zones. This nondestructive, rapid and highly sensitive method can be used for industrial processes [1] control and prospections. The use of a NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal for routine measurements of the ¹⁹⁸Au radioisotope type and the interferences by copper, silver and indium in the irradiated samples are discussed.     

Multielemental determination in platinum rocks by nondestructive neutron activation analysis

Na, Zn, Re, Sc, Ir, Ru, Pt, Fe and Co have been determined in Pt-rock samples from different parts of the state by thermal neutron-activation analysis followed by nondestructive analysis on a MCA. The accuracy and precision of the method have been determined.     

Thermal properties and interpartical interactions of <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-proline,glycine, and <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-alanine in aqueous urea solutions at 288–318 K

The enthalpies of solution of l-proline have been measured in aqueous urea solutions at 0–6 mol urea kg⁻¹ water at 288.15, 298.15, 308.15, and 318.15 K by the calorimetric method. The two-parameter relation connecting the values of solution enthalpies of proline with urea concentration and temperature has been obtained. The enthalpy and heat capacity parameters of pair interaction of l-proline with urea in water have been computed. Using the thermodynamic relations, the temperature changes of reduced enthalpy, and also the change of entropy and reduced Gibbs energy of solution of l-proline in aqueous solutions of urea at the temperature rise from 288 to 318 K have been determined. Their comparison with the data for glycine and l-alanine has been carried out. It has been shown that the entropy–enthalpy compensation (Barclay–Butler rule) takes place for dissolution and transfer processes.     

Neutron activation analysis of geological and biological samples using short-term reactor irradiation and successive counting

Short-term reactor irradiation followed by successive counting over long periods has been used for the nondestructive determination of more the 20 elements in geological and biological samples. The samples, along with USGS standards and NBS SRMs, were irradiated for 5 m, 10 m, 15 m, 1 h, 2.5 h, and 10 h, followed by counting on a Ge/Li/ gamma-ray spectrometer. The technique has been employed for the determination of several major, minor, and trace constituents in geological, biological and environmental samples.     

Photoprocesses in sodium decyl sulphate micellar media

The absorption and fluorescence behaviour of thionine dye in sodium decyl sulphate (sds) medium has been studied in detail. The transient spectra and kinetics of decay of semithionine species produced by photoreduction of thionine by ferrous ions has-been studied using flash photolysis technique. The results have been compared with those in neat aqueous medium and in sodium lauryl sulphate (sls) media published earlier. It was found that the decay of semithionine which is kinetically second order in neat aqueous medium becomes pseudo first order as in thesls medium; however unlike in the latter case, the pseudo first order rate decreases with increasing surfactant concentration at all concentrations of ferric ion. The effect of electrolyte concentration on transient semithionine spectra and decay kinetics has also been studied. It was found that with increasing NaCl concentration the transient absorbance decreases and the decay slowly reverts back to second order as in aqueous medium. Insds medium as compared tosls a much higher concentration of NaCl is needed for the reaction to become second order which is attributed to stronger binding of ferric ions to thesds micelles.     

Determination of microelement content in the samples from the cycle of intensive poultry breeding

The results of analysis of 15 samples of meat, eggs, feed and water used in the cycle of intensive poultry breeding are given in the paper. Twenty chemical elements such as: Sm, Lu, Eu, Hf, Ce, Yb, Cr, La, Br, Sb, Cs, Sc, Fe, Co, Na, Ta, Tb, Zr, Rb and Zn have been quantitatively determined in all the samples by nondestructive neutron activation analysis. Qualitative determination of K, Ca, Ru and Au was also performed in some samples.     

Aktivierungsanalytische Sauerstoffbestimmung mit schnellen Reaktorneutronen

Summary Oxygen can be determined by the nuclear reaction ¹⁶O (n, p) ¹⁶N initiated by fast reactor neutrons. The automatic irradiation and counting system which is used in the Munich research reactor for non-destructive oxygen determination is described. The activation by thermal neutrons is suppressed by the installation of a cadmium shield around the pneumatic tube at the irradiation position. Oxygen has been determined in the presence of many elements to find out which elements disturb the oxygen activation analysis.Zusammenfassung Sauerstoff läßt sich aktivierungsanalytisch mit schnellen Reaktorneutronen über die Kernreaktion ¹⁶O (n, p) ¹⁶N bestimmen. Die automatische Bestrahlungs- und Meßanlage, die die Durchführung solcher zerstörungsfreier Sauerstoffanalysen am Forschungsreaktor München erlaubt, wird beschrieben. Die Aktivierung durch thermische Neutronen wurde durch Einbau eines Cadmiumschildes am Bestrahlungsort unterdrückt. Sauerstoffanalysen wurden in Gegenwart zahlreicher Matrixelemente durchgeführt, um zu ermitteln, welche Elemente die aktivierungsanalytische Sauerstoffbestimmung mit schnellen Reaktorneutronen erschweren oder unmöglich machen.Wir danken der Betriebsleitung und der Bestrahlungsgruppe des FRM für deren verständnisvolles Eingehen auf unsere Wünsche, Herrn Dr. Köhler für seine wertvollen Hinweise beim Aufbau der schnellen Rohrpost und Herrn E. Pfeffermann für seine Mithilfe bei einem Teil der Messungen.     

The role of trace metallic elements in neurodegenerative disorders: quantitative analysis using XRF and XANES spectroscopy.

The present paper focuses on the analysis of trace metallic elements and their role in neurodegenerative disorders. The use of synchrotron radiation microbeams allows investigation of pathological tissues from Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases in a nondestructive manner and at cellular level. By employing X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) technique, the chemical state of the investigated elements can be determined, while energy-selective X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy provides the spatial distribution of each element in each oxidative state selectively. The investigated tissues (derived from human, monkey and mouse specimens) show distinct imbalances of metallic elements such as Zn and Cu as well as Fe(2+)/Fe(3+) redox pair, which point to oxidative stress as a crucial factor in the development or progress of these neurodegenerative diseases.     

Interactions between several <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-α-amino acids and potassium chloride in aqueous solutions at 298.15 K

The enthalpies of solution of l-α-aminobutyric acid, l-α-valine, l-α-leucine, l-α-isoleucine, and l-α-cysteine have been measured in aqueous potassium chloride solutions at 298.15 K. From the obtained experimental results the standard dissolution enthalpies of amino acids in aqueous KCl solutions have been determined. These data were used to calculate the heterogeneous enthalpic pair interaction coefficients based on McMillan–Mayer’s theory. These values were interpreted in the terms of the hydrophobic or hydrophilic effects of the side chains of amino acids on their interactions with dissociated potassium chloride in water.     

Magnetic microsphere-based methods to study the interaction of teicoplanin with peptides and bacteria

Teicoplanin (teic) from Actinoplanes teichomyceticus is a glycopeptide antibiotic used to treat many Gram-positive bacterial infections. Glycopeptide antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth by binding to carboxy-terminal d-Ala-d-Ala intermediates in the peptidoglycan of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria. In this paper we report the derivatization of magnetic microspheres with teic (teic-microspheres). Fluorescence-based techniques have been developed to analyze the binding properties of the microspheres to two d-Ala-d-Ala terminus peptides. The dissociation constant for the binding of carboxyfluorescein-labeled d-Ala-d-Ala-d-Ala to teic on microspheres was established via fluorimetry and flow cytometry and was determined to be 0.5 × 10⁻⁶ and 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The feasibility of utilizing microparticles with fluorescence methods to detect low levels (the limit of bacterial detection was determined to be 30 colon-forming units; cfu) of Gram-positive bacteria has been demonstrated. A simple microfluidic experiment is reported to demonstrate the possibility of developing microsphere-based affinity assays to study peptide–antibiotic interaction.