Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Volume/Issue:
Volume 69: Issue 1-2
On the determination of silicon in pottery
Author:
R. Hancock University of Toronto SLOWPOKE Nuclear Facility and Department, of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry Toronto (Canada)

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Pages:
313–324
Online Publication Date:
09 Jan 2007
Publication Date:
01 Mar 1982
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02515931
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Abstract  

To study the nature of ancient and modern pottery it is necessary to be able to determine the concentrations of the major constituent elements. For such studies, mass balances calculated from these elemental concentrations cluster around 100% for a silicate-silica matrix and around 80–90% in highly calcarious pottery which has a silicate-carbonate (silica) matrix. This work requires experimental measurements with coefficients of variation wihtin approximately ±5%. The high concentrations of silicon in pottery may reasonably be determined by neutron activation analysis using the nuclear reaction29Si(n, p)29 Al. Aluminium-29 has a half life of 6.56 minutes and a γ-ray energy of 1272 keV. Epithermal neutron irradiations of samples in cadmium foil are required to minimize the quantities of thermal neutron induced radionuclides. The method of analysis developed for the low flux SLOWPOKE reactor is described and the accuracy and precision of the technique is discussed by allusion to analyses of standard reference materials. The application of this technique to two different archaeological problems is addressed. The first is a case of carbonate dilution found in neolithic pottery from Iran and the second case is a problem of silica dilution in Roman pottery from Germany.

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Cover Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Print ISSN:
0236-5731
Online ISSN:
1588-2780

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Journal of Radionalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
Language English
Size A4
Year of
Foundation		 1968
Volumes
per Year		 1
Issues
per Year		 12
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
CH-6330 Cham, Switzerland Gewerbestrasse 11.
Responsible
Publisher		 Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 0236-5731 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2780 (Online)

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