Determination of chromium in biological materials by radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) using manganese dioxide

A procedure based on radiochemical neutron activation analysis was developed for the determination of chromium in biological materials. The procedure consists of irradiation of reference and test samples in a nuclear reactor, microwave sample digestion, selective and quantitative radiochemical separations of chromium and gamma-ray spectrometric measurement of ⁵¹Cr. Separation of chromium from the accompanying elements was done on the column packed with inorganic resin MnO₂ Resin. Distribution coefficients of Cr, Zn, Co, Cs and Sc were determined in the system: MnO₂ Resin-HCl, HNO₃ and H₂SO₄. Accuracy of the procedure was checked by analysis of certified reference materials. (author)