Trace determination of beryllium by radioactivation in an oxygen-18 ion beam

The determination of beryllium by Heavy-Ion Activation Analysis (HIAA) has been studied using an oxygen-18 ion beam. 3 nuclear reactions 9Be(18O, 2α)19O, 9Be(18O,α)23Ne, and 9Be(18O,d)25Na have been compared. Activation curves have been established for incident beam energies ranging from 10 to 40 MeV 18O. 15 potential nuclear interfering elements, as identified with a computer program, have been systematically tested. At energies below 25 MeV only boron interferes by producing 25Na, thus a very selective and sensitive determination of beryllium can be achieved using either 19O or 25Na as radiotracers