Narrow Results

Several southern magnolia (magnolia grandiflora) tree samples, with known concentrations of mercury, were analyzed using particle induced x-ray emission (PIXE) and neutron activation analysis (NAA). Results from the PIXE measurements indicate that the average mercury absorption percentage was found to be 85 ± 4%. The distribution of mercury was found to be reasonably homogeneous over the sample surface. However, small variations in mercury concentration are most likely caused by the structure of cellulose in the wood. Mercury in the samples appears to be stable to a total integrated charge of 10 μC. Three mercury L-shell x-rays are easily observed in the resulting PIXE spectrum. Using PIXE, the mercury detection limit was calculated to be approximately 1 ppm. With one exception, the measured NAA mercury concentrations were larger than the corresponding mass-based values. The NAA mercury detection limit for the southern magnolia samples was estimated to be about 0.017 ppm (17 ppb).

In investigating drug addiction and its side effects from a social health point of view, the attention is usually focused on the drug itself. Yet trace amounts of other elements may have side effects no less harmful than addiction itself. The knowledge of these elements can be of help in the cure of drug addiction. The purpose of this study is to determine the trace elements in some drugs by methods of nuclear analysis. In this study, the Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) techniques have been applied to measure the elemental composition and concentration of 55 opium, hashish and ecstasy pill samples. PIXE analysis shows the samples contain various elements including Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb and Sr.

Rubidium (Rb) concentration in different samples collected from Keshan disease (KD) area of Sichuan Province has been determined with PIXE and NAA (Neutron Activity Analysis), and compared with that in three non-KD areas. About 200 erythrocyte samples of healthy children aged from 6 to 11 were collected from four different areas with various selenium status. 20 rice samples and 6 soil samples were taken from two of above four areas. The results showed that Rb content of erythrocyte of children in KD area (Dechang county) was three times that in the other three non-KD areas. The Rb contents of rice and soil in KD area were higher than that in non-KD areas, too. The abnormal high Rb concentration in erythrocyte of children depended on the Rb intake and the Rb level of the living environment.

In order to classify the Otani Collection's Dunhuang and Turfan manuscripts, their trace elements were analyzed by PIXE. The paper samples of these manuscripts were fallen off when they were photographed for a CD-ROM catalog. These samples were very small and their size was less than several millimeters. In addition, some paper fragments dating from the late Edo-era of Japan and the late Qing Dynasty of China, and modern Japanese handmade paper were analyzed using PIXE and NAA. Quite interesting results were obtained when analyzing the trace elements – Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Sr, Ba, Pb, La, Sm. It was found that Dunhuang and Turfan papers of the Otani Collection were characterized by its highest iron and bromine content. The reason of the highest iron content probably originates in their making process and/or depends on their preservative environment. On the other hand, it became clear as for the highest bromine content that the origin is from fumigation of methyl bromide.