Application of the Beattie Calibration to the Ternary Compound System

A general correction formula for matrix effects on X-ray fluorescent intensities for multi-component compound systems was derived by using the empirical parameters that express absorption-enhancement effects in X-ray fluorescence analysis as had been introduced by Beattie and Brissey for alloy steel systems. Six parameters were evaluated from the intensity measurements of Mg-Kα, Cd-Kα or Ba-Lα line on the mixtures in the binary compound systems composed of chemical grade magnesium borate, cadmium sulfide or barium oxide. Contents of individual compounds in 13 unknown mixed samples in the ternary magnesium borate-cadmium sulfide-barium oxide system were calculated by solving the derived simultaneous equations, together with the data on the intensity ratios of the unknown samples. In nearly all cases calibrated values were within 5% of the theoretical values with average deviations being 1.76% for magnesium borate, 0.85% for cadmium sulfide and 1.87% for barium oxide. The results suggest that this calibration method for the absorption or enhancement effects in X-ray fluorescence analysis may be applicable to multi-component mineral systems.