Question

I am trying to generate thin films of sample for TXRF testing, but my samples contain a significant amount of oil in them. My slides are analyzed vertically, so the oil simply drips off.

I have access to a muffle furnace and can ash my sample, but I am hoping to check for mercury content and that will drive it away into the air.

What are some things I could do to turn these samples into a stable film?

Answer 1

To turn oil-containing samples into a stable film for TXRF testing, you can ash the sample in a muffle furnace. If you want to check for mercury content, you can use passivation by exposing the metal to mercury to disrupt the metal oxide film and retain the oil in the ash.

Step-by-step explanation:

To turn your oil-containing samples into a stable film for TXRF testing, you can try ashing the sample in a muffle furnace. Ashing involves heating the sample at a high temperature to burn off organic materials, including oil, and leave behind a residue. However, as you mentioned, ashing may cause the loss of volatile elements like mercury. To prevent this, you can use a technique called passivation, which involves exposing the metal in your sample (e.g., aluminum) to mercury to disrupt the metal oxide film and allow the oil to be retained in the ash. This way, you can still check for mercury content in your samples while maintaining a stable film.