Radiochemical analysis of toxic elements in biological materials

A radiochemical method for simultaneous determination of toxic elements (Hg, Cd and Sb) in biological materials has been developed. The procedure involves the irradiation of samples with thermal neutrons and quantitative one-step separation in 0.1M 4-(5-nonyl)pyridine/benzene from 2.0M hydrochloric acid followed by gamma-ray spectrometry. The procedure is applied for the analysis and to the studies of distribution of these elements in IAEA-RMs, human serum and hair samples. Results obtained are found to be in good agreement with those reported in the literature.     

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis determination of rare earth elements in geological materials with ppb sensitivity

Rare earth elements are determined, with ppb sensitivity, by radiochemical activation analysis using a fusion dissolution process and a quantitative group separation scheme, followed by radioassaying. Spectral interference is avoided, or corrected for, by repeating the counting operation with a delay of four to six weeks. This allows for the decay of shorter lived interfering isotopes such as¹⁵⁵Eu on¹⁶⁰Tb and¹⁷⁵Yb on¹⁴¹Ce. The scheme is rapid, sensitive and uses standard radiochemical laboratory facilities and counters. It has been applied to a wide range of rocks and minerals and data for eleven rare earths (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Ho, Tm, Yb and Lu) is presented here and compared with literature values.     

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis of rare earth elements in peridotitic rocks

The understanding of the geochemistry of basalt petrogenesis and the nature of the upper mantle requires the examination of such rocks as peridotites which in many cases are thought to represent upper mantle material. The mineralogical composition of peridotitic rocks in such that they accommodate large proportions of such trace elements as the transition elements but very small amounts of the rare earths and hygromagmaphile elements. The last two groups are often able to provide a large amount of information leading to petrogenetic models. Owing to the extremely low concentrations of the REE in peridotitic rocks it is necessary to separate them from other elements which will interfere with their precise determination. We have used a radiochemical neutron activation analytical method which is adapted from various published methods. It involves a post-irradiation sample fusion, two separate ion-exchange chromatographic stages and finally a fluoride precipitation. The RNAA procedure is capable of providing very precise REE data for perioditic samples and we have used it for the analysis of such rocks from several geodynamic environments.     

Determination of rare earth elements in international geochemical reference materials

Instrumental neutron activation analysis of eight geochemical standard materials has been carried-out and the concentration values of nine rare-earth elements (REE) (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Yb and Lu) have been determined. Discussion of some problems in the determination of those elements is presented and the results obtained are compared with literature values. In general, good agreement with available data was obtained but discrepancies with concentration values for a number of elements in some of these standards are discussed.     

Determination of rare earth elements in the biological reference materials Pine Needles and Spruce Needles by neutron activation analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was applied to determine La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, Lu and Sc in two biological reference materials: NIST 1575 Pine Needles and BCR-CRM 101 Spruce Needles. The purpose was to contribute to the reference data for these two reference materials. The results were obtained with a good precision (relative standard deviations less than 15%). For the Pine Needles reference material there are already some proposed values and our results showed, in general, a good agreement with the data published. The contribution of uranium fission products to La, Ce, Nd and Sm was evaluated and considered in the determination of these elements. Interferences in the determination of rare earth elements in biological materials are also discussed.     

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis in standardization of trace elements in biological reference materials at the nanogram level

Summary Results for up to 12 trace elements in some newer biological materials of the NBS Washington (Citrus Leaves, New Bovine Liver, Wheat and Rice Flours, Milk Powder, Stabilized Wine) are reported using radiochemical neutron activation analysis. A discussion of the techniques and problems of standardization and the correct use of standards is included.

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Radiochemische Neutronen-Aktivierungs-Analyse zur Standardisierung von Spurenelementen in biologischen Referenzproben in ng-Mengen

Zusammenfassung Ergebnisse für bis zu 12 Spurenelemente in einigen neuen biologischen Proben des NBS, Washington, (Citrus-Laub, frische Rindsleber, Weizenund Reismehl, Milchpulver, Wein) wurden mitgeteilt, die mittels radiochemischer Neutronen-Aktivierungs-Analyse erhalten wurden. Eine Diskussion der Verfahren, der Probleme der Standardisierung sowie der korrekten Verwendung der Standardproben wurde geboten.

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Presented in part at the 9th International Symposium on Microchemical Techniques, Amsterdam, August 1983.     

Methodologies for the analysis of rare earth elements and their relevance to reference materials

India has the third largest resources of rare earth elements (REE) in the world. These resources are essentially the monazite sand present in the beaches of south-west, south-east, and mid-eastern coasts of India. Therefore, analytical methodologies for the determination of REE in sea water and high-purity materials were developed. An overview of this work and its relevance to the preparation of standard reference materials of REE in sea water, marine sediments, and high-purity materials in the future is given.     

Methodologies for the analysis of rare earth elements and their relevance to reference materials

India has the third largest resources of rare earth elements (REE) in the world. These resources are essentially the monazite sand present in the beaches of southwest, south-east, and mid-eastern coasts of India. Therefore, analytical methodologies for the determination of REE in sea water and high-purity materials were developed. An overview of this work and its relevance to the preparation of standard reference materials of REE in sea water, marine sediments, and high-purity materials in the future is given.     

Radiochemical separation for the certification of some trace elements in biological reference materials by neutron activation analysis

A radiochemical separation procedure based on chromatographic separation using Chelex-100 in 0.1M HAc-0.1M NH₄Ac at pH 4.8 and TDO in 6M HCl, has been developed to determine Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Se, The, U, W and Zn in three biological materials of botanic origin used as SRM's: 1547 Peach Leaves, 1515 Apple Leaves and the new proposed material Spinach. The aim was to obtain more information for these elements whose values are not yet determined or are given only as suggested values.     

Radiochemical separation methods for the determination of some toxic elements in biological reference materials

The present paper describes radiochemical separation procedures developed for the determination of the elements As, Cr, Hg, Sb and Se in biological reference materials. The methods chosen utilize ion exchange, retention on inorganic exchangers and solvent extraction techniques for the isolation of the elements of interest. These procedures are more rapid than previously used methods, such as distillation and precipitation. As to the sample dissolution, the following procedures were tested using radioactive tracers and reference materials: treatment of the materials in teflon bombs with a mixture of HNO₃+H₂SO₄ or HNO₃ only in a normal oven, and with HNO₃ in a microwave oven using specially designed digestion bombs.     

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis of individual rare earth elements in monazites from different geological environments

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis /RNAA/ has been applied for the determination of individual rare earth elements /REE/, except Tm, in 8 Indian monazites and one each from Malaysia and Thailand. Because of the very low amounts of heavy rare earths /HREE/ compared to light rare earths /LREE/ in monazite, HREE from Ho onwards have been determined only after the separation of the heavy and light rare earth fractions in the irradiated monazite samples. The results indicate significant variations in REE contents from Eu to Lu among different monazite samples. The chondritic normalized REE patterns of all the samples show a prominent negative Eu anomaly with different slopes at the heavy rare earth end. All the individual REE, except Tm, have been reported for the first time in various Indian monazites.     

Non-destructive determination of zinc in biological certified reference materials

Non-destructive neutron activation analysis was employed to determine zinc in ten biological standard reference materials from the National Bureau of Standards and the National Research Council of Canada. The use of a 4 h. irradiation at a medium neutron flux allows excellent accuracies, precision and sensitivities to be attained for all the samples analyzed. It is suggested that neutron activation analysis be one of the benchmark methods for the determination of zinc in biological reference materials for concentrations as low as the one part per million level.     

Input of missing trace elements in some IAEA/NBS biological certified reference materials using INAA

IAEA and NBS biological certified reference materials have been analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis and concentration of 17 elements was determined. The elements determined were either completely missing or their certified values were not given in the original compilations. For quality assurance of our work, a comparison of data on missing trace elements in some of the CRMs has been presented. It seems that second round of analysis for the certification of these elements would be useful.     

Indirect determination of soluble trace elements in certified reference materials by neutron activation analysis

Since 1983 we have analyzedaqua regia extracts from environmental reference materials of 5 different soils and 4 different sludges by neutron activation analysis. Aqua regia as such is not accepted for irradiation in a nuclear reactor, and therefore the solution has to be evaporated to dryness, mixed and dried to constant weight before an aliquot can be taken and subjected to instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Results for leachable Cr and Zn were found to display greater variability than results for total contents of these elements, and the reasons for this will be discussed.For the 1994 certification campaign for one soil and two sludges we have chosen to determine the total content of trace elements in these reference materials by INAA before and afteraqua regia leaching. The leachable contents are then found indirectly as a difference between the two results; in this way we eliminate the sources of uncertainty associated with the drying and handling of theaqua regia extracts, and we reduce the contributions from counting statistics.     

Determination of rare earth elements in mineral raw materials and rare earth industry products by neutron activation analysis

To determine REE in mineral raw materials, high purity RE metals and their compounds, neutron activation analysis with extraction chromatographic REE separation has been developed. Combination of the developed RE extraction and separation procedures with subsequent -spectrometric analysis of the RE radionuclides allows to determine their content with the lower detection limit –10^–5–10^–8%. The relative standard deviation is 0.2–0.3.     

Radiochemical separations for inorganic trace elements in some biological reference materials,foods, tissues and body-fluids

A simple radiochemical machine incorporating ion-exchange procedures has been described. The system has been tested repeatedly for the determination of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn and Mo at ultra trace concentration levels in a variety of biological samples such as reference materials, human blood serum, human milk, hair and certain dietary materials, thereby demonstrating its suitability for practical use. The procedure can also yield results for A, Au and W, without any further chemical manipulations. Results show <1, 0.12, 0.18, 983, 0.61 and 0.91 g/l for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn and Mo, respectively, in human blood serum. Corresponding concentrations in human milk are <1, 0.25, <1, 186 to 310, 4 to 40 and 5.8 g/l. Among the reference materials, IAEA milk standard A-11 shows 1.85, 5.1, 17, 380, 260 and 101 ng/g for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn and Mo, respectively. Corresponding concentrations in animal muscle H-4 are 4.1, 5, 10.2, 4000, 455 and 45 ng/g. Importantly, this scheme has been applied to process large number of samples from single investigations such as those arising from dietary studies, obtaining quick and reliable data for routine use.In memory of Knut Samsahl, the devoted Norwegian radiochemist.     

Trends in certified reference materials for the speciation of trace elements

The measurement of the chemical species of elements (instead of the total element concentration) has become an irreversible trend in analytical chemistry. The motivation lies in the fact that the biochemical and geochemical behaviour of an element is governed by its species. Quality assurance of the analytical procedures used for speciation analysis requires the analysis of representative reference materials, certified for the relevant species. Up to now the number of existing certified reference materials for trace element species is very limited. The most important ones are environmental CRMs certified for trialkyltin compounds, methylmercury, Cr(III)/Cr(VI) and food CRMs certified for arsenic species and methylmercury. Major developments are to be expected in CRMs focussed on environmental problems, including waste treatment, on bioavailability of trace elements in food and on bio-monitoring in occupational health and hygiene. It is, however, unlikely that the producers of CRMs will ever be able to cover all needs. Add to this that many, very active species are notoriously unstable and/or short living and require in-situ analysis. This will lead to different analytical developments, such as analyses in-situ, where the classical concept of CRMs may not stand firm anymore.     

Determination of ultra-trace rare earth elements in chondritic meteorites by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method for the direct determination of ultra-trace rare earth elements (REE) in seven Chinese chondritic meteorites by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed. Samples were digested with a mixture of HF+HNO₃ acids in Teflon pressure bomb. The accuracy and precision of the method were assessed by the analysis of four standard reference materials including one chondrite (Allende) and three basalts (BCR-1, BHVO-1 and W-2), the results obtained in this study agree quite well with the recommended values. The reproducibilities (expressed as RSD) of samples were less than 5%.