X-Ray Fluorescence Determination of the Boron Content in Lithium Borate Glasses

Abstract A method for the X-ray fluorescence determination of the boron content in lithium borates used for preparing glasses for detecting ionizing radiation is proposed. The measurements are carried out on an S8 Tiger X-ray spectrometer. Sample preparation consists of fusing lithium borates (7.5 g) with a rock sample (0.5 g) and forming a glass disk. The error estimate for boron is 0.2 wt % with the boron content in the range from 21.7 to 27.2 wt % corresponding to the range of content in stoichiometric lithium borates from metaborate to triborate.