DETERMINATION OF TRACE-ELEMENTS IN SURFACE-WATER BY NEUTRON-ACTIVATION ANALYSIS

In order to assure the public health, simple and reliable analytical methods must be established for effective surveillance of polluted surface water. Since the pollutants in surface water are usually found at ultratrace levels, preconcentration is generally required to ensure the quality of the analytical results. An analytical procedure consisting of preconcentration using hydrous magnesium oxide followed by neutron activation analysis has been proposed and applied to the determinations of trace elements in surface water.