A COMPARISON OF INSTRUMENTAL NEUTRON-ACTIVATION ANALYSIS AND INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY FOR TRACE-ELEMENT DETERMINATION IN PETROLEUM GEOCHEMISTRY

INAA and ICP-MS methods for determining trace elements in crude oils, oil fractions and sourcerock bitumens are compared. Results for a wide variety of crude oil types show good agreement for many elements for which the two techniques am suited and which are geochemically important (e.g., Ni, V, Fe, Se, As, etc.). For some other elements, the two techniques arc complementary (e.g., B, Be, Cd, Br). The advantages and disadvantages of INAA and ICP-MS in geochemical exploration programs are reviewed and practical examples presented.