Trace iodine determination in environmental samples by RNAA
- Jozef Stefan Inst. (Slovenia)
Notwithstanding interest in the nutritional, environmental, geochemical, and radioecological fields regarding iodine, data for this element in nonbiological samples are lacking. From compilations of data on trace elements in biological and environmental reference materials evidently only a handful have even informative or noncertified values for iodine. Regarding this and studies related to the ecological and biological cycle of iodine, accurate analytical methods covering low levels are imperative. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is a method whose characteristics offer important advantages in analytical quality control and make it particularly suitable for certification of reference materials. But when analyzing environmental samples for iodine via {sup 128}I (25 min), the radioactivity produced from matrix elements increases the background and interferes in the quantitation of the iodine peak (E{gamma} = 443 keV); therefore, it is usually necessary to isolate iodine from the matrix by a radiochemical separation. The purpose of this work was to adapt an existing radiochemical NAA (RNAA) procedure developed in our laboratory for biological materials, based on oxygen combustion, to nonbiological (environmental) matrices by pelletizing them with a threefold excess of cellulose powder as an ignition medium. As an independent check on the results, some samples were also analyzed by an alkaline fusion technique.
- OSTI ID:
- 436868
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9606116--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 74; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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