Neutron Activation Analysis: The Determination of Manganese

Abstract

Criteria pertaining to biochemical applications of neutron activation analysis were formulated and dealt with experimentally. An ultramicromethod was described which permits the determination of the essential microconstituent, manganese, in biological samples, including small pools with low concentrations. Samples containing, on the average, 0.261 m mu g of manganese were analyzed with a variance of plus or minus 3.4%. The mean concentration of manganese in human plasma was 2.69 mu g per liter. The plasma concentration remained constant in the rabbit after injections of manganous sulfate whereas that of whole blood increased. Manganese concentrations were determined in some tissues and in some reagents. (auth)