Analysis of alloys and salt solutions by β-ray backscattering

This investigation reports the results of a study undertaken to assess the suitability of using the GM counter for measuring the intensity of β-backscattered radiation to determine the chemical composition of binary solid alloys, and aqueous salt solutions containing a metallic radical. The results indicate that the technique is not suitable for the determination of the composition of binary alloys since the error is in the range of 1.2–2.3 wt-% metal. The technique can be conveniently adapted for aqueous salt solutions where the maximum error is approximately 0.2 wt-% metal for metallic elements with atomic number greater than 20