A New Albite Microanalytical Reference Material from Piz Beverin for Na, Al and Si Determination, and the Potential for New K-Feldspar Reference Materials
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2023-12
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Journal Article
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Abstract
Determination of alkali elements is important to Earth scientists, yet suitable and reliable microanalytical reference materials are lacking. This paper proposes a new albite reference material and evaluates the potential for future K-feldspar reference materials. The proposed Piz Beverin albite reference material from Switzerland yields a homogeneous composition at the centimetre- to micrometre-scale for Si, Al and Na with < 2000 mu g g(-1) total trace elements (mostly heterogeneously distributed Ca, K and Sr). EPMA and LA-ICP-MS measurements confirm a composition of 99.5(2)% albite component, which is supported further by bulk XRF measurements. A round robin evaluation involving nine independent EPMA laboratories confirms its composition and homogeneity for Si, Al and Na. In addition, a set of five distinct clear K-feldspar samples was evaluated as possible reference materials. The first two crystals of adular and orthoclase yield unacceptable inhomogeneities with > 2% relative local variations of Na, K and Ba contents. The three other investigated sets of K-feldspar crystals are yellow sanidine crystals from Itrongay (Madagascar). Despite distinct compositions, EPMA confirms they are each homogeneous at the centimetre to micrometre scale for Si, Al and K and have no apparent inclusions; further investigation to find larger amounts of these materials is therefore justified.
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47 (4)
Pages / Article No.
907 - 929
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
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Subject
natural microanalytical reference materials; alkali elements; feldspar minerals; RM evaluation; combined EPMA; LA-ICP-MS and XRF analysis
Organisational unit
09656 - Chelle-Michou, Cyril / Chelle-Michou, Cyril
03958 - Bachmann, Olivier / Bachmann, Olivier
09495 - Murakami, Motohiko / Murakami, Motohiko