PRACTICAL XRF CALIBRATION PROCEDURES FOR MAJOR AND TRACE-ELEMENTS

Different calibration procedures for the determination of major and tr ace elements by XRF analysis are presented and discussed. Empirical ca libration curves comparing intensities with concentrations can be used for the analysis of samples with limited variations of the matrix com position. However, a general-purpose calibration procedure that is app licable to a larger variety of matrix types and covering wider ranges of the analyte concentration is usually more desirable. This paper pre sents practical and simple calibration procedures for the determinatio n of major and trace elements that will allow one to adapt any mathema tical model to any set of experimental data while producing the maximu m of accuracy in the final results. It is also shown how to calculate from multi-element standards a practical intensity of the pure analyte , thus eliminating the requirement for a pore analyte specimen.