Analysis of Biological Samples with Charged-Particle Accelerators

Abstract

In principle, activation analysis can be divided into two classes, depending on the nuclear excited states used for analysis: delayed activation analysis which is the well-known radio-activation analysis and prompt activation analysis where the early nuclear excited state is used and the emitted photons or particles are measured during irradiation of the material. Charged-particle activation analysis (CPAA) belongs basically to the group of delayed activation analysis, but sometimes it involves prompt activation analysis. In principle, CPAA is suitable for the analysis of almost every matrix. A large part of the literature on CPAA deals, however, with the determination of light elements, such as boron, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, in metals and semiconductor materials. CPAA can favorably be used to determine light elements in biological materials as special applications by either delayed or prompt activation analysis. CPAA can also be used effectively for the determination of traces of medium and heavy elements in biological materials.