Nondestructive determination of boron and cadmium in environmental materials by thermal neutron-prompt .gamma.-ray spectrometry

Prompt ..gamma.. rays from thermal neutron induced nuclear reactions have been used to measure trace quantities of B and Cd in industrial and standard materials. The technique provides a rapid nondestructive analysis for > 0.05 ..mu..g of B. Repetitive analyses show the method to have a precision of 5%. The presence of large quantities of Na degrades the accuracy and precision of the B analysis. The technique also provides a method for the determination of Cd although it is not sufficiently sensitive to provide a practical alternative to more conventional methods.