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High Productivity Geochemical XRF Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

Mark N. Ingham  and
Bruno A.R. Vrebos
Mark N. Ingham
Affiliation:
British Geological Survey Keyworth Nottingham NG12 5GG United Kingdom
Bruno A.R. Vrebos
Affiliation:
Philips Analytical X-Ray Lelyweg 1 7602 EA Almelo The Netherlands
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Extract

XRF has become over the years a method of choice when dealing with elemental analysis of large quantities of samples. Geochemical analysis pushes the technique to its limits because of the large number of samples to be analysed as well as the lower limits of detection required for many trace elements of geochemical and economic importance. The Analytical Geochemistry Group at the British Geological Survey (BGS) has access to a wide variety of methods for instrumental analysis. Instrumental methods for inorganic analysis include x-ray fluorescence as well as DC arc emission spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). X-ray fluorescence, however, is the technique of choice when it comes to the routine analysis of large numbers of solid samples. The XRF section at BGS currently runs three sequential spectrometers (one PW1480 and two PW2400s made by Philips Analytical X-Ray). In this paper, some aspects of the method of sample preparation and the calibration of the spectrometers for the analysis of the trace elements are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in X-Ray Analysis , Volume 37: Forty-Second Annual Conference on Applications of X-ray Analysis, August 2-6, 1993 , 1993 , pp. 717 - 724
Copyright
Copyright © International Centre for Diffraction Data 1993

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