Simultaneous determination of sodium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon and phosphorus by instrumental neutron-activation analysis using reactor and epithermal neutrons

Abstract

Sodium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon and phosphorus were determined simultaneously by measuring the activities of ²⁴Na, ²⁷Mg and ²⁸Al produced by neutron activation once with reactor neutrons and once with epithermal neutrons (those neutrons from a nuclear reactor that are not absorbed by a cadmium sheet). The six countings gave six equations from which the required five quantities were calculated. Several known mixtures were checked, and the ranges in which Si and P could be determined were found (Si : Al and P : Al >10 : 1).