Study of chemical speciation of trace elements by molecular activation analysis and other nuclear techniques

The information on the chemical speciation of trace elements in biological and environmental systems is much needed to evaluate their biological and environmental significance. Albeit a number of atomic behavior-based analytical techniques are available for the analysis of chemical speciation of trace elements, nuclear analytical techniques, especially the molecular activation analysis method, can in many cases play a-unique role. This review describes the methodology, merits and limitations of nuclear analytical techniques for chemical speciation study in biological and environmental samples. The emphases are focused on the chemical species and the environmental and biological significance of rare earth elements in natural plants and human liver, selenium in a mammalian organism, mercury in rat brain and liver, chromium in rat organs and Cr-rich yeast, organohalogens in pine needles and marine organisms, and iodine in sea-water, soil, atmosphere, marine plants and the thyroid gland for demonstration of the features of nuclear analytical techniques. The future perspectives of nuclear analytical techniques for the study of chemical species of trace elements will be briefly outlined as well.