Determination of thorium in bovine bone by neutron-activation analysis

Abstract

Thorium has been determined in bovine bone by neutron-activation analysis. A radiochemical procedure is described in which protactinium-233 resulting from the reaction [graphic omitted] is extracted with trioctylamine in xylene and subsequently back-extracted with distilled water, following collection of the thorium in the bone by Korkisch's anion-exchange method and irradiation. The protactinium-233 activity is measured by gamma-ray spectrometry.

The precision of the method is better than ±15 per cent. for samples with a thorium content exceeding 0·0037 p.p.m.