Container Effects in 56Mn Sources for Iron Determination in the Human Body by NRS Technique

Iron overloads in liver and heart are detected in vivo by nuclear resonant scattering (NRS) technique. The method is based on the resonant scattering of 847 keV gamma ray from the first nuclear level in 56Fe. The source of radiation is provided by 56MnCl2 maintained in a gaseous phase in anevacuated quartz vial at 1030°C. It was observed that the time dependent NRS yield, from an iron slab, differed appreciably from the 2.58 hr. half-life of 56Mn. Inasmuch as the NRS system responds only to the source in the gaseous phase, the discrepancy is attributed to the interaction between the gaseous source and the walls of the vial. Fused silica vials and fused quartz vials demonstrate entirely different time behavior.