Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
The x-ray fluorescence (XRF) method is well known for its capability to perform fast and accurate quantitative analysis for all elements with atomic numbers greater than ten. Energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) adds to this capability the benefit of quick qualitative analysis, due to its simultaneous sensitivity to all the elements. The method has the potential for rapid and complete chemical analysis of any sample which arrives on the analytical chemist's doorstep. Although the method has been a productive tool for fast and accurate repetitive analysis of similar samples, its applicability to unique unknowns has been rather limited. The limitation arises from the usual need to calibrate the instrument's response with a set of 6 to 12 standards, whose compositions must be similar to the unknown sample. Anyone who has struggled to develop and maintain such a suite of accurately certified standards knows that a great deal of effort and expense is involved. This effort is well justified when the analyst expects to analyze the same type of material frequently over an extended tine period. However, for a unique sample analysis, the task of developing a suite of similar standards simply makes the analysis impractical. What is needed is a method that requires minimal standards, or uses no standards at all.