Elementary analysis of fluorine by neutron activation

Activation analysis provides a handy tool for elementary fluorine determination, with a relative error of 1-2 per cent. As fluorine standards, ammonium fluoride and p-fluorobenzoic acid can be used. The values obtained for the fluorine contents show a good reproducibility with platinum as flux monitor. As a result of the analysing technique used, most interferences are negligible or can be eliminated and the radiation damage can be restricted to a minimum so that in most cases the compound is not lost for further use. The method is applied to determine the changes in fluorine content of teflon by pile irradiation.