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Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis and Its Application to Cultural Heritage Materials

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Handbook of Cultural Heritage Analysis

Abstract

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) is a sensitive analytical method for measuring the amounts of various elements present in many types of samples. The method is based on the nuclear properties of the elements. Applications for INAA cover a broad range of disciplines such as agriculture, archaeology, geoscience, human nutrition, environmental monitoring, and semiconductor technology. Archaeologists and chemists interested in archaeological studies were among the first to recognize the potential of INAA, and they initiated investigations of artifact provenance and the economics of trade and exchange. The use of INAA for archaeological studies continues to be quite active. The history of INAA, its theoretical basis, and recent applications in archaeology and cultural heritage are described.

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Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges his colleagues H. Neff and B.L. MacDonald for many stimulating discussions and recommendations. This chapter was written with support from the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) and a grant from the National Science Foundation (#1921776).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    Michael D. Glascock

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  1. Michael D. Glascock
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Correspondence to Michael D. Glascock .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

    Sebastiano D'Amico

  2. University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Valentina Venuti

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Glascock, M.D. (2022). Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis and Its Application to Cultural Heritage Materials. In: D'Amico, S., Venuti, V. (eds) Handbook of Cultural Heritage Analysis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60016-7_5

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