Studies on mass attenuation coefficient, mass energy absorption coefficient and kerma of some vitamins

The mass attenuation coefficients for some vitamins (retinol, beta-carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, niacinamide, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, cyanocobalamin, ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol, alpha-tocopherol, ketamine, hesperidin) were determined experimentally and theoretically at 356.61, 661.66, 1250 and 1408.01 keV photon energies by using a NaI(Tl) scintillation detector. Also, the mass energy absorption coefficients and kerma have been calculated. The calculated values were compared with the semi-empirical values for vitamins.

► Kerma is essential for nuclear medicine, diagnostics and radiation dosimeter.
► The values of μm and μe/ρ depends on the photon energy and chemical content of vitamins.
► New experiments should be performed to study physical parameters of biomolecules.