Background

This application note demonstrates that chlorine can be quantified reliably at trace levels of concentration in aluminosilicate materials such as FCC catalyst using a pressed powder method and Rigaku ZSX Primus series spectrometer. The ZSX Primus II and ZSX Primus IV are particularly suitable for aluminosilicate analysis by a pressed pellet method because of their tube-above optics, where any inadvertent scattering of loose powder particles inside the spectrometer chamber and onto the X-ray tube and optical components is minimized compared to tube-below designs. The tube-above optical design also eliminates the need to add a binder in order to increase the stability of the briquettes as is recommended for tube-below designs. The ZSX Primus II and ZSX Primus IV are further optimized for analysis of powder samples with features such as a user-selectable evacuation rate (slow or fast) to guard against cracking of briquetted specimens and a powder trap.