Determination of oxygen with high accuracy and correctness

Oxygen has been determined with high precision and accuracy by activation analysis via N-16, using a cyclic irradiation and counting technique. The sources of accidental errors have been revealed and eliminated by means of statistical tests and the systematic errors due to counting errors and matrix effects have been corrected. The standardization errors arising in stationary and birotary sandwich arrangement of samples and standards are compared and the procedure of statistical error analysis is discussed. The results of oxygen analysis in organic compounds, oxides, carbonates, sulfates and other compounds with a precision <=0.05% and an accuracy <0.1% are reported. (author)