Trace Element Analysis of Geological, Biological & Environmental Materials by Neutron Activation Analysis
This MIT OpenCourseWare course introduces instrumental neutron activation analysis, a non-destructive technique for measuring trace elemental abundances in geological, biological, environmental, and industrial samples. Students learn the physics of neutron irradiation and gamma-ray spectroscopy that underlies the method, how to interpret activation data, and how the technique compares with other trace-element analysis approaches. Materials include lecture notes and course readings covering sample preparation, detector systems, and quantitative analysis of results. The course is aimed at students in earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences who need to characterize trace-level composition of natural and industrial materials. As with other MIT OCW offerings, all course materials are freely available online with no certificate offered.