Biomaterial Database

Discovery of neutron activation analysis. 2022

S Landsberger

Nuclear Engineering Teaching Lab, University of Texas at Austin, Pickle Research Campus, R-9000, Austin, TX, USA, 78712. Electronic address: s.landsberger@mail.utexas.edu.

It is well known that George Hevesy and Hilde Levi were the original discoverers of neutron activation analysis. However, there were many other researchers in Europe that firstly unknowingly and knowingly discovered the neutron, and others who experimented in neutron induced radioactivity. A historical timeline of the several parallel experiments in a very short period is given in this synopsis. It eventually was Hevesy and Hilde to first use the powerful technique of neutron activation analysis for analytical chemistry.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009501	Neutron Activation Analysis	Activation analysis in which the specimen is bombarded with neutrons. Identification is made by measuring the resulting radioisotopes. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Activation Analysis, Neutron,Analysis, Neutron Activation,Activation Analyses, Neutron,Analyses, Neutron Activation,Neutron Activation Analyses
D009502	Neutrons	Electrically neutral elementary particles found in all atomic nuclei except light hydrogen; the mass is equal to that of the proton and electron combined and they are unstable when isolated from the nucleus, undergoing beta decay. Slow, thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons refer to the energy levels with which the neutrons are ejected from heavier nuclei during their decay.	Neutron
D011851	Radioactivity	The spontaneous transformation of a nuclide into one or more different nuclides, accompanied by either the emission of particles from the nucleus, nuclear capture or ejection of orbital electrons, or fission. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Nuclear Decay,Radioactive Disintegration,Decay, Nuclear,Disintegration, Radioactive,Disintegrations, Radioactive,Radioactive Disintegrations,Radioactivities
D005060	Europe	The continent north of AFRICA, west of ASIA and east of the ATLANTIC OCEAN.	Northern Europe,Southern Europe,Western Europe