AW: ETV-ICP-MS Analysis of Radium

[Franz Schönhofer <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

Leo,



Not being an expert in ICP-MS I can only draw some conclusions because

of analogies: Because of its relatively long half-life Ra-226 should be

possible to be analysed by ICP-MS (compare Pu-239). Ra-228 is usually

equally important from the radiation protection point of view (for

instance in drinking water), but with its short half-life I do not see

any possibility to be determined by ICP-MS, not to talk about Ra-224,

which is on the other side of no importance in radiation protection. 



Since I worked myself extensively with radium-226 and radon-222 I was

always extremely interested in any papers, but I do not know the one you

mentioned, nor do I remember any on ICP-MS techniques for radium. 



As Bernhard Cohen pointed out the instruments were once extremely

expensive - they went down considerably both in prize and size since,

but still you need dedicated experts to run them. As with most modern

instruments they are likely to be cost-effective if you run very large

numbers of samples for the same analyte, just for a few samples per year

it does not make any sense to buy them.



Best regards,



Franz





Franz Schoenhofer

PhD, MR iR

Habicherg. 31/7

A-1160 Vienna

AUSTRIA

phone -43-0699-1168-1319





> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

> Von: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu [mailto:owner-

> radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu] Im Auftrag von Leo M. Lowe

> Gesendet: Dienstag, 04. Jänner 2005 16:32

> An: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

> Betreff: ETV-ICP-MS Analysis of Radium

> 

> Hello,

> 

> Is anyone familiar with the analysis of radium by electrothermal

> vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ETV-ICP-MS)

> (phew) ?

> 

> According to a paper by McIntyre et al (1997) in the J. Analytical

Atomic

> Spectrometry (Vol.12:547-551) at

> http://pubs.rsc.org/ej/JA/1997/D9607270.PDF ,

>   it has a detection limit of less than 2 fg (femtograms) or about 7 x

> !0(-5) Bq, a very low value.  It is apparently also very quick

(minutes)

> compared to analyses based on radioactivity counting techniques.

> 

> Is this a practical method for environmental samples? What about the

> costs?  If preferred, feel free to respond directly to me.

> 

> 

> Leo M. Lowe, Ph.D., P.Phys.

> 





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