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ANALYSIS (A GUIDE)
INTRODUCTION
The impact that the popularization of radioisotope techniques has had in
the chemical analysis field in recent years is usually recognized as due mainly
to the spectacular development of activation analysis. This is, however, only
one of the important lines of work in the application of radioactivity to
chemical analysis and, because of the necessity for the laboratories using it
regularly to have access to reactor facilities or costly particle accelerators,
certainly not the more apt for widespread usage.
Because of these special characteristics of activation analysis, radioisotope
techniques in general are still too frequently considered as a rather exotic
subject, reserved for specialists with advanced training in radiochemistry and
for laboratories having ample budgets at their disposal.
As a consequence of these misconceptions, many analytical laboratories
not directly connected with nuclear energy work do not realize that the second
important line of application, namely, the use of radioisotopes as chemical
tracers, is within their easy reach, and that its application can lead in many
instances to better and quicker solutions for many everyday problems than
more classical approaches. Satisfactory radioactive tracers are nowadays
available around the world for many elements, and measuring equipment
is not prohibitive in cost or too sophisticated to be useful only to specialists.
Safety requirements also are not very demanding. Most tracer applications
are feasible with levels of activity of a few microcuries per operation, for which
fume cupboards with good ventilation and rudimentary radiation precautions
are quite appropriate.
When one considers that tracer techniques were employed in analysis much