Liquid scintillation counting has virtually replaced other methods of detecting and measuring P-radiation. Its value to the forensic scientist lies in its application to radioimmunoassay, a technique that will inevitably be used to an ever-increasing extent in forensic laboratories.
This book is the edited proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Liquid Scintillation Counting which was held in September, 1973, under the auspices of the Radiochemical Methods Group of the Society for Analytical Chemistry. The contents are divided into five sections: modern concepts in liquid scintillation counting, quench correction techniques, sample preparation (I), sample preparation (11) and special topics. Each section consists of a plenary lecture and a number of papers with references and discussion.
Liquid scintillation counting is a technique of such wide application that the subject matter of the book ranges from the general to the highly specialized, but there is much to interest both the novice and the expert. Particularly relevant to forensic radioimmunoassay are papers on the comparison of counting vials, standardisation in liquid scintillation counting and optimisation in colloid scintillation counting. Other papers are less relevant but provide a valuable guide to the practice, theory, applications and pitfalls of liquid scintillation counting. O n balance, considering the lack of basic texts on the subject, I feel that this book and the other volumes in the series deserve a place on the library shelf as useful reference works.