Wavelength-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometric Determination of seven major-element oxides in silicate-rocks without the use of fused sample glass discs

The conventional method for determining SiO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃ total iron as Fe₂O₃, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na₂O, K₂O, and P₂O₅ in silicate-rocks by wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (WDXRFS) uses fused sample glass discs, the preparation of which is tedious, cumbersome, and time-consuming. The paper proposes a simple, accurate, precise, and rapid WDXRF spectrometnc technique for determining SiO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃ Fe₂O₃ MnO, CaO, and K₂O in silicate-rocks using plain, pressed powder-pellets prepared from minus 300 mesh powders.

The accuracy and precision of the technique for SiO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃ CaO, and K₂O are excellent (within 1%). The accuracy for MnO is within 4.5% and the precision is within 4%. The time taken for determining these seven major-element oxides in a batch of twentyfour samples of silicate-rocks, for a replication of four analyses, per sample, by one operator, using a manual WDXRF spectrometer is only ten hours.