An External Beam Method for Multi-Elemental Analysis of Heavy Metals in Stream Water

Abstract

An improvement has been made on a liquid target preparation for an external proton beam PIXE which is regarded as an excellent technique for multi-elemental analysis. A 2 MeV proton beam taken out to the atmosphere through an exit Kapton foil bombards an acidic solution target directly. Such direct bombardment enables the direct comparison of X-ray yields of a liquid sample with those of the standard solution so that one can determine the elemental concentration in a liquid sample more precisely and easily. An example is given for the analysis of heavy metals in stream water.