Neutron Activation Analysis of Chitin And Chitosan Extracted From Local Sea Crab Shells

Abstract

Multielemental determinations in Chitin and Chitosan powders extracted from exoskeletons of local crab shells using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) technique are reported. The samples were initially irradiated in a neutron thermal flux of 5 x 1011 n.cm-2s-1 in the 30kW Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).Using a combination of short, medium and long irradiation schemes, fourteen elements were identified and quantified of which twelve (Al, Ca, Cl, Mg, Mn, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Sb, and Sc) were common to both samples. The study shows that these samples are rich sources of minor and major elements important for nutrition and growth in both plants and animals.

Journal of the Ghana Science Association Vol. 9 (2) 2007: pp. 38-42