Epithermal instrumental neutron activation analysis with Compton suppression spectrometry for the determination of iodine in food samples

Abstract

Epithermal instrumental neutron activation analysis (EINAA) together with Compton suppression system were optimized and used to analyze several food samples for the determination of low levels of iodine. The method involved the irradiation of samples in the outer epi-cadmium site of the Dalhousie University Slowpoke-2 reactor facility. The samples were then counted directly without any chemical treatment on an anticoincidence counting system. This system comprised a 25 cm3 hyperpure Ge detector, a guard detector consisting of a 10"×10" NaI(Tl) annulus with five photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and a 3"×3" NaI(Tl) plug with one PMT. Iodine was quantitatively analyzed using the 443 keV photopeak of 128I. The precision and accuracy of the method were evaluated using real samples and biological reference materials, respectively. The precision of the method was calculated as percent relative standard deviation and in all cases was within ±5%. The agreement between our iodine values and those of the certified values was generally within ±10%, suggesting an excellent accuracy of the method. The detection limits of the various samples calculated, with the lowest value of 20 ppb. The values of iodine determined ranged between 24 to 3080 ppb. The methods and results are presented.