Concentration Determination of Major and Minor Elements in Iron-Rich and Other Geological Samples Using X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis

Abstract

We present an accurate method for determining the concentrations of the major and minor elements in iron-rich and other geological samples using the X-ray fluorescence analysis. A fusion method was used for sample preparation. We used theoretical alpha coefficients which we calculated in order to correct for any matrix effects. For an on-line analysis, we re-calculated the theoretical alpha coefficients using transformation formulas. The analytical results show that the theoretical alpha coefficients can be used to correct the matrix effects, which in this work would greatly reduce the errors for the major components. The final results of an analysis of international reference samples are in good agreement with the recommended concentration values.