DOE OSTI2014
At McMaster we use neutrons from the {sup 7}Li(p,n){sup 7}Be reaction to measure aluminum in human subjects via the {sup 27}Al(n,γ){sup 28}Al reaction. We use proton energies of between 1.9 MeV and 2.3 MeV, yielding maximum neutron energy of 0.575 MeV. In principle, {sup 28}Al can also be produced via the {sup 31}P(n,α){sup 28}Al reaction, which has a neutron energy threshold of 2.008 MeV. When aluminum is measured in bone, there can be 10{sup 5} times the mass of phosphorus present as there is aluminum. However, this potential interference cannot arise using the {sup 7}Li(p,n){sup 7}Be reaction in the proton energy range specified. Collaborators at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), Chalk River, Purdue University in the USA and Shanxi Medical University in Taiyuan, China are also interested in being able to measure aluminum in bone in living human subjects. Both AECL and Purdue have acquired D-D sets (accelerators producing neutrons via the d(d,n){sup 3}He reaction). These operate at high current (∼mA) and relatively low accelerating voltage (150 kV), relying on quantum mechanical tunneling through the Coulomb barrier. These D-D sets produce neutrons of energy 2.565 MeV. This is above the threshold for the {sup 31}P(n,α){sup 28}Al reaction, but we have not been able to find any report in which this reaction has had a cross section measurably greater than zero for neutron energies of less than 3 MeV. So, it is an open question as to whether the potential interfering reaction with phosphorus is a concern when using neutrons from a D-D set to measure aluminum in bone. (authors)
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