Mongolian Geoscientist, no. 17, December 1, 2002 (Abstract)

S.Tuul and B.Davaasuren: Central Geological Laboratory-in the New Millennium

Central Geological Laboratory (CGL), according to an Agreement between Mongolian-German governments, has been implementing a technical cooperation project "Training program for support CGL for international accreditation, market economy and instrumental analysis" from this year for three years (2002-2004). The main goal of this project is: (1) to master completely modern precise equipment, installed in recent years at the CGL and qualify well personals, who work on them; (2) to become a professionally accepted laboratory in the international level as CGL is accredited by International Accreditation Organizations.

In the frame of the this year's project program our six personals had trained in the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural resources (BGR), Hannover, Germany for two months to master modern analytical equipment - ICP, XRF spectrometers and X-ray diffractometer and to be experienced in new analytical techniques and technologies. Then German experts from BGR had visited CGL for 2-3 months and taught our personals about usage, maintenance, analytical techniques and technologies of these spectrometers. The project is continuing successfully according to its program.

Ch.Tserenkhuu, T.Enkhbat and T.Tsetsegmaa: Method development for inductively coupled plasma ICP-OES spectrometry in the Central Geological Laboratory

In the framework of international Cooperation project "JICA" of Japan and technical cooperation project "Support CGL for international accreditation, market economy and instrumental analysis" of Germany CENTRAL GEOLOGICAL LABORATORY is equipped with modern equipment's such as Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry (ICP-OES), Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS-flame, GF and Hydride vapor generator) and the staff has been intensively trained on instrumental analysis of ICP-OES -7500. ICP has from the outset been marked as an analytical method of extraordinary capability and has now became a well-established elemental analytical technique having graduated in the past decade from limited use in a research environment into widespread routine laboratory use throughout the world. Emission spectrometers using an ICP as the excitation source have various advantages over those using a conventional excitation source, and hence have come to be utilized more and more extensively.

B. Erdenebayar, A. Karivai and Sh. Batkhuu: Application of Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry to the elemental analysis of geological samples in the Central Geological Laboratory

The application of X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRFA) to multi-element determinations in geological samples has the advantage of simple sample preparation, rapid analysis, good reproducibility and low cost. According to the detection limits attained for elemental analysis in wavelength dispersive XRFA we are setting up new analytical method for the determination of such elements and compounds in the Central Geological Laboratory at present: SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, TiO2, P2O5, SO3, Cr, Ba, Ni, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Pb, As, Sb, Sn, Cs, Sc, Bi, Ce, Co, Cu, Ga, Hf, La, Mo, Nb, Ta, Th, V, U and Chlorid (39 elements).

The above mentioned method would be set up by German-Mongolian cooperation new project. Accurately prepared glass beads should be measured on the "Shimadzu-SXF1100" sequential wavelength dispersive XRF spectrometer in this method in order to get raw count rates of the peak and background positions of the analytes. Then measured raw data should be entered in SuperQ software in order to calculate concentration of the analytes. In SuperQ software for the determination of elements influence coefficients or theoretical coefficients are used for the correction of matrix effects and some overlap correction coefficients are used. The detection limits, precision and accuracy will be calculated after completion of each calibration of the analytes.

T.Sainzaya: X-ray diffraction methods for geologist

Following the discovery of X-ray by Rontgen in 1895, three major branches of science have been developed from the use of this radiation. The first is X-ray radiography of diagnostic methods for medical and industrial use, the second is X-ray crystallography of which X-ray powder diffractometry and the 3rd technique is X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The powder methods of X-ray diffraction analysis as well as the optical microscope is most commonly used for the mineral identification. Other techniques for mineralogical study such as electron microscopy, infrared absorption analysis thermometric analysis and so on would become more effective when they are used together with the X-ray method.

An X-ray diffractometer and a Differnetial thermal analyzer had been donated by JICA in 1997. Since that time XRD analysis is being made in Central Geological Laboratory. It is used for field survey and laboratory analytical work. In the frame of implementation of Mongolian-German technical cooperation project "Training program for support CGL for international accreditation, market economy and instrumental analysis", which is started in 2002, we are mastering all abilities and all kinds of analyses of X-ray diffractometer.