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Alpha activation of calcium and its possible use for analysis

  • Physical Methods Section
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Abstract

This method is based upon the measurement of 3.95-hr43Sc which is formed during α-activation from40Ca, the most abundant (96.8%) isotope of calcium. The excitation function for the40Ca(α, p)43Sc reaction was determined and the maximum yield of43Sc (about 107 cpm per mg of calcium for a 1-hr irradiation at a beam current of 1 μA) was obtained at an irradiation energy of 14 MeV. The interference free sensitivity of the method at this energy was found to be 8.5·10−12 g, for a 1-hr irradiation at a beam current of 10 μA. The elements most likely to interfere with the determination are potassium and scandium. The extent of this interference was investigated as a function of irradiation energy and methods to eliminate or subtract the activity formed from these elements are discussed. An attempt was made to determine non-destructively the calcium content of very pure silicon and aluminium and upper limits for the concentration of calcium in these samples were set at 0.27 ppb and 6.9 ppb, respectively. Magnesium, thulium oxide and yttrium oxide samples of known calcium content were also analysed.

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Author notes

  1. R. Pretorius

    Present address: Southern Universities Nuclear Institute, P. O. Box 17, Faure, C. P., South Africa

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Activation Analysis Research Laboratory, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    R. Pretorius & E. A. Schweikert

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  1. R. Pretorius
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  2. E. A. Schweikert
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Pretorius, R., Schweikert, E.A. Alpha activation of calcium and its possible use for analysis. J. Radioanal. Chem. 7, 319–327 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02513803

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02513803

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