Determination of the Stoichiometry of Submilligram Samples of Sodium-Vanadium Bronzes by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis.

An accurate nondestructive neutron activation method was developed for the determination of the stoichiometry of sodium--vanadium bronze single crystals. Using gamma spectrometry and appropriate irradiation and decay times, it was possible to measure the activities of Na²⁴ and V⁵² without interference. Relative errors in multichannel pulse height analysis were investigated and reduced to better than 1.5% for vanadium and 2.5% for sodium. Single crystals of vanadium bronzes were analyzed by the method. (auth)