Neutron activation analysis of selenium and 17 elements in sediment

Area of Science:

• Geochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Accurate elemental analysis of marine sediments is crucial for understanding geological processes and environmental changes.
• Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is a sensitive technique for trace element determination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the concentration of 17 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Cl, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Rb, Sb, Cs, Ba, Ce, Eu) in Pacific core sediment.
• To develop and apply a method for selenium determination in sediment using NAA with solvent extraction.
• To investigate the homogeneity of trace constituents and neutron flux corrections for accurate analysis.

Main Methods:

• Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) for multi-element determination.
• Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) coupled with solvent extraction using 2,3-diaminonaphthalene (DAN) for selenium determination.
• Wet-ashing of sediment samples prior to post-irradiation analysis.

Main Results:

• Quantification of Na, Mg, Al, Cl, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Rb, Sb, Cs, Ba, Ce, and Eu in Pacific core sediment.
• Successful determination of selenium using the developed NAA and solvent extraction method.
• Evaluation of sediment homogeneity and neutron flux corrections confirmed the accuracy of the analytical results.

Conclusions:

• Instrumental neutron activation analysis is a reliable method for multi-element determination in marine sediments.
• The developed solvent extraction technique enhances the accuracy of selenium determination via NAA.
• The study provides valuable elemental composition data for Pacific core sediment, contributing to geochemical and environmental research.