The Determination of Total Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulfur in Silicates, Silicate Rocks, Soils and Sediments |
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| Authors: | Sandra Andrade Horstpeter H Ulbrich Valdecir A Janasi Margareth S Navarro |
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| Institution: | Instituto de Geociências, USP, Cidade Universitária, rua do Lago 562, CEP 05508-080, São Paulo, SP, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | Determinations of the volatile elements carbon, hydrogen, sulfur and nitrogen in many geological RM, performed with the LECO CHN and SC analysers, are presented. The method allowed the determination of S in concentrations from a few % m/m to 0.001% m/m or less, of C from % m/m to 0.01% m/m and of H from % m/m to 0.004% m/m. Accuracy was usually better than the XRF method (for S). All obtained values passed the Sutarno-Steger test, which establishes that |(meananalysed - meancertified)|/ Scertified < 2, for the cases with an appropriate number of determinations (n > 10 for each element). It was possible to perform routine determination of C, H and S with the instrumentation, coupled with the determination of major and minor elements in geological materials. Determination of nitrogen could also be performed on an exploratory basis, with improvements in the method dependent on the future availability of more reference materials with reliable composition of this element. |
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| Keywords: | carbon hydrogen sulfur nitrogen geological materials volatile analyser equipment Sutarno-Steger test |
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