Influence of errors in determination of light lanthanides on the numerical values to indicate the light lanthanide tetrad effect

Abstract

This communication reveals quantitatively the influence of experimental errors in measurement of abundances of La, Nd, Sm and Gd on the numerical index (ABEXEL) about the lanthanide tetrad effect. The resultant influence is greatest for the combinations of La (+), Nd (-), Sm (+) and Gd (-), and La (-), Nd (+), Sm (-) and Gd (+), where symbols + and - refer to positive and negative errors, respectively. If the experimental errors are assumed to be randomly 2.5%, the maximum uncertainty of resulting ABEXEL turns out in general to be ±0.036, and the averaged uncertainty to be ±0.017. The discussions presented here are applicable to the uncertainties of the values of a system taken for normalization.