MULTIELEMENT DETERMINATION IN ESTUARINE SUSPENDED PARTICULATE MATTER BY INSTRUMENTAL NEUTRON-ACTIVATION ANALYSIS

An instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) method has been developed for the simultaneous multielement determinations in samples of estuarine suspended particulate matter (SPM) weighing between 0.75 and 7.5 mg. The INAA method consists of four sequential irradiations at two different fluxes and counting after four decay periods using a high-resolution Ge(Li) detector. Concentrations of up to 28 elements have been measured in estuarine SPM collected from water with salinity varying between 2.23 and 29.9%o. The average precision of measurement has been observed to vary between ±10 and 16% for most elements. The accuracy of determination has been evaluated by analyzing standard reference materials, and agreements within ±10% of the certified values have been obtained. The detection limits for most trace elements have ranged between 0.37 ng and 1.0@r@nμg. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.