Radionuclide induced energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence for the determination of La, Ce, Pr and Nd and their content sums in the rare-earth ores†

In this paper an analytical procedure for the determination of La, Ce, Pr and Nd in rare-earth ores is described. More than 5000 of powdered samples were prepared from the ores selected in various places of their deposit. The samples were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) with an Am-241 source for the radiation excitation of characteristic K-lines of the elements mentioned. The results were compared with the data of other methods and reference materials. The correlation of LaCe, LaPr, LaNd, CePr, CeNd and PrNd elements pairs were determined. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.