Determination of beryllium by use of photonuclear activation techniques

The possibility of using a gamma source based on 124Sb for detection and determination of beryllium contents in some standards and one mine sample has been investigated. It is concluded that by using a 124Sb source for bilateral irradiation of the samples and only one BF3 counter, beryllium could be measured to an absolute sensitivity of up to 0.4 mg. Such a facility would be capable of contributing to exploration of beryllium mines. A comparison with the ICP method shows good agreement between both measurement techniques.