ˌradioactiˈvation Chem.
[f. next + -ation.]
The process of making radioactive; freq. attrib.; radioactivation analysis, chemical analysis in which a sample is made radioactive by exposure to radiation and its components are then identified, and their concentrations measured, by radiochemical methods; also called activation analysis.
| 1938 Brit. Chem. Abstr. A. i. 112/2 (heading) Artificial disintegration and radioactivation. a 1947 Clark & Overman in Determination Trace Elem. by Radioactivation Anal. (U.S. Atomic Energy Comm. Rep. MDDC–1329) (1947) 1 The potential uses of radioactivation analysis for the determination of trace amounts of substances have been recognized for some time. 1950 Ann. Rep. Progr. Chem. XLVI. 285 Although radioactivation analysis was first used in 1936, it is still in the early stages of development. 1960 Times 19 July (Royal Society Suppl.) p. xv/1 The geochemist is particularly trying..new techniques of analysis such as the isotope dilution and radioactivation methods. 1971 P. Kruger Princ. Activation Analysis iii. 62 The most copious and controllable sources of neutrons for radioactivation are found in nuclear reactors. 1971 Nature 15 Oct. 506/2 Radioactivation analysis..is now well established in its own right as an important tool in science and technology. |