Determination of iron and titanium in kaolins by the method of non-dispersive X-ray fluorescence

The possibility of application of the radioactive source excited X-ray fluorescence analysis for titanium and iron determination in kaolins to the routine test of the refinement process has been studied. The iron content can be determined with a simple counting system using a single-channel pulse height analyser, argon filled proportional counter and 109Cd source of 3 mCi for the excitation of K Fe rays. The samples were analyzed both as pellets and powders. The iron content ranged from 0.2-2.5% and titanium from 0.1-0.64%. The best values of precision and determination limit have been achieved for iron with 238Pu and for titanium with 55Fe. The precision and accuracy of the X-ray fluorescence method of iron and titanium determination in kaolins are comparable to those of the chemical method. For the simultaneous iron and titanium determination in the discussed region of concentration it is the most advantageous to use the plutonium source with the activity of several tens of mCi and Si(Li) detector with a moderate resolution (250-300 eV for 5.9 keV). The time of the analysis carried out by the described method is several times shorter than the chemical method. The apparatus used in this method is relatively simple, the sample preparation does not require any chemical treatment and the cost of labour of the sample preparation is minimal. (T.G.)