I have a small question about interference standards. Do they have to be the same material/standard as the primary standard used for the interfering element? For example, I have a rutile (TiO2) with traces of V in it (0.42 wt % V2O3) that I use as my primary standard for Ti. For V, I use V metal as the primary standard. Can I use Ti metal as my interference standard when correcting for the Ti Kb overlap on the V Ka peak? (I ask bec the old JEOL software I was used to only allowed for the interference standard to be the primary standard for the interfering element).
Hi Dan,
In Probe for EPMA, the primary standard for the interfering element and the standard utilized for the interference correction can be the same or they can be different. All the matrix correction differences between them and the unknown are automatically handled.
So long as the criteria I mentioned in the previous post are adhered to. That is, you cannot use a standard for the Ti interference on V which contains any of the interfered element, in this case V. If you do, you will get a "double correction".
So you can use pure Ti or TiO2 as your primary Ti standard, and you can also use Ti or TiO2 as your interference standard for Ti on V, but the interference standard for Ti on V *cannot* contain any V.
But note that many published papers report small amounts of V in rutile that are almost always due to the interference of Ti Kb on V Ka. As the bumper sticker on my office door says: "don't believe everything you think"!
![Wink ;)](https://probesoftware.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
john