Analysis of Na, Mg, Al and Cl in archaeological glass and pottery: comparison of PIGE with low energy deuteron activation analysis

Abstract

Na, Mg, Al and Cl in Roman glasses and pottery were analyzed by PIGE with 2.5 MeV protons and 2.0 MeV deuteron activation analysis. Both methods are simple and rapid. For Na, Mg and Al in glasses, the detection limits with PIGE and deuteron activation are: 40, 800, 300 (µg/g) and 120, 110, 100 (µg/g), respectively. PIGE is not suitable for trace analysis of chlorine. The detection limit of Cl is 500 µg/g for 2 MeV deuteron activation. PIGE is a sensitive method for Na analysis. At low concentrations of Mg and Al, deuteron activation with its higher sensitivity and improved photopeak-to-background ratios, gives more precise and accurate results than PIGE.