Isotopic analysis by n, α reactions in a liquid scintillator; Determination of 6Li abundance

A nuclear analysis method is proposed, where a solution of the element to be analyzed is dissolved in a liquid scintillator; the analysis is carried out by counting the reaction products, while irradiating with slow neutrons. As first use, the 6Li(n, α)3H reaction was employed to measure the isotopic abundance of 6Li. The method proved to be reliable and simple for the quantitative determination of small quantities of elements, with a reasonable cross section for slow neutron-induced reactions.