ISOMER ACTIVATION BY BREMSSTRAHLUNG FROM A 4 MEV LINAC FOR ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS

Nuclear isomers of half-lives above one second have been excited from the ground state of stable nuclides via inelastic gamma-ray scattering by using bremsstrahlung of a 4 MeV, 22 mu A linear electron accelerat or. This method is potentially useful for a number of elements in elem ental analysis by virtue of its high specificity and, in some cases, g ood sensitivity. As there is no need for special sample preparation, t his kind of activation may be preferable in some applications. Detecti on sensitivities have been determined for 15 elements, and possibiliti es in routine chemical analysis are discussed.