Blank value minimization in instrumental multi-element analysis of biological samples

In our wound healing experiments we have tried to minimize the blank values that are caused by different sources of contamination during surgery, sampling and the activation analysis procedure. The following topics have been investigated: The abrasions from scalpels of stainless steel, titanium and quartz; the type of surgery; the homogenisation of the samples before irradiation by use of a ball mill; the surface contaminations of the quartz ampules that pass into the digestion solution of the irradiated samples. The appropriate measures to be taken in order to reduce the blank values are described. In preceding investigations we have found iron enrichments in the wound area. In order to distinguish between enrichments caused by bleeding during wounding and enrichments due to increased iron requirements by the healing processes, the erythrocytes of the animals were labelled with 55Fe, and the 55Fe content of one part of each sample effects, a procedure has been worked out for preparation of colourless, transparent counting samples. (orig./RB)