Compton suppression spectrometry for arsenic in biological reference materials
- Dalhousie Univ. (Canada)
Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is a very sensitive technique for the determination of arsenic. A sensitivity of nanogram amounts of arsenic can generally be achieved. However, in biological materials of complex chemical composition, the major elements such as bromine, sodium, and potassium can produce high activities resulting in poorer detection limits for arsenic. At sub-parts-per-million (ppm) or parts-per-billion (ppb) levels of arsenic commonly found in biological samples, the 559.1-keV peak of {sup 76}As (half-life = 25.9 h) is particularly interfered with by the 554.3-keV peak of {sup 82}Br (35.3 h) and the 564.1-keV peak of {sup 122}Sb (65.3 h). Modern high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors usually have good enough resolution to resolve these three peaks. However, when the bromine content of the biological sample is high, which is often the case, the tailing of the 554.3-keV peak can mask the 559.1-keV peak of {sup 76}As and can make the detection of the arsenic peak rather difficult, if not impossible. In general, instrumental NAA (INAA) methods can be used to measure arsenic only down to a few ppm levels in biological materials.
- OSTI ID:
- 552317
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-971125-; ISSN 0003-018X; TRN: 97:005809-0007
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Vol. 77; Conference: 1997 American Nuclear Society (ANS) winter meeting, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 16-20 Nov 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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