Practical guidelines for best practice on Total Reflection X ray Fluorescence spectroscopy: Analysis of aqueous solutions
Abstract Despite the fact that Total Reflection X ray Fluorescence (TXRF) is becoming more and more popular as a quantification technique in analytical chemistry due to its simplicity and robustness, there are still some key aspects related to the sample preparation that need to be improved. In this work, the effect of different parameters is investigated: measurement time, carrier position, sample volume and sample drying time. The measurement time and the sample volume on the carriers mainly affect the recovery rate and relative standard deviation of the quantified metal from aqueous solutions. The most important parameters that play a fundamental role in the calibration of a TXRF machine such as choice of the standard element and concentration ratio between the analyte and the standard are discussed. Practical and easy guidelines for the correct preparation of aqueous samples are presented. These can be used by both less and more experienced TXRF users, interested in measuring metal ion concentrations in aqueous samples.