Determination of Boron Content in Borosilicate Glasses by Neutron Transmission

Determination of the boron content in borosilicate glasses has been successfully carried out by neutron transmission using the JRR-2 neutron crystal spectrometer. The boron content was calculated from the measured macroscopic neutron cross section of the glass plates. The principal sources of error in this method are the statistical error in the observed neutron transmission and the ambiguity of the neutron absorption cross section of natural boron contained in the glasses. If more than 0.1% boron is contained in borosilicate glass, the boron content can be determined with an accuracy of a few percent.