Determination of gold in biological materials by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

A radiochemical neutron activation analysis procedure was developed for the determination of trace amounts of gold in biological materials. The procedure was realized with irradiation of reference and test samples in a nuclear reactor, selective and quantitative separation of gold using inorganic MnO₂ Resin and gamma-ray spectrometric measurement of ¹⁹⁸Au. The method is characterized by a low limit of detection of gold at ng g^?1 level. Results shows that the method can be applied to the determination of trace amounts of gold in tissues for medical research.