Determination of Arsenic in Biological Materials by Activation Analysis

• Published in: RADIOISOTOPES 1967/10/15, Vol.16(10), pp.537-542
• Main Authors: KIMURA, Yuichiro, MORISHIMA, Hiroshige, KOGA, Taeko, HONDA, Yoshihide, KAWAI, Hiroshi, KIMURA, Kozaburo, MIYAGUCHI, Yoichiro, NISHIWAKI, Yasushi
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; jpn
• ISSN: 0033-8303; 1884-4111
• DOI: 10.3769/radioisotopes.16.10_537

The modified Gutzeit method for separation of arsenic was combined with neutron activation analysis of arsenic in biological materials. The modified Gutzeit method often used for determination of arsenic in biological materials in Japan is relatively simple, but it is difficult to determine microamounts of arsenic less than 3μg and the errors according to this method are sometimes quite large. Therefore, the authors attempted the quantitative determination of arsenic by activation method. The samples were first irradiated with thermal neutron at a flux of about 4×1012n/cm2/sec for 1 hour and then digested with nitric-sulfuric acid. Activated arsenic as arsine evolved by modified Gutzeit method was collected on a mercuric bromide paper strip and then the radioactivity was measured. The minimum detectable amount of activated arsenic on the mercuric bromide paper strip in this method was of the order of 10-3μg and the mean recovery was about 80% with the standard deviation of less than 10%. The authors attempted the quantitative determination of arsenic in human head hair with this method.