Application Note 19 Measurement of Calcium Fluoride Content in Fluorspar Application Note 20
Application Note 19 Measurement of Calcium Fluoride Content in Fluorspar Application Note 20
Application Note 19 Measurement of Calcium Fluoride Content in Fluorspar Application Note 20
Summary
Application Note 20
Application Method
The mineral fluorspar (or fluorite) is the most important The analytical technique is based on direct measurement of
source of fluorine. The purity (calcium fluoride content) of the the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) signal of fluorine-19
mineral will determine its eventual use in the steel, aluminium which has 100% natural abundance. It is assumed that the
or chemical industries. The highest grade is used to produce measured NMR response is linearly proportional to the CaF2-
content of a material. The acquired NMR signal is normalised
hydrogen fluoride which is a precursor to many important
by the sample mass and then the CaF2 content (weight-%) is
compounds including pharmaceuticals and polymers, e.g.
calculated using an appropriate calibration curve.
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), known by the commercial
name of Teflon. It is therefore important to determine the Calibration
fluorine content of fluorspar for commercial and quality It is possible to calibrate the MQC using only two samples
control purposes. if the reference values are known to be accurate. However,
initially it is recommended that the instrument is calibrated
Advantages of NMR by 3-6, preferably more, standards with known CaF2
Conventional wet chemical methods of calcium fluoride contents evenly spread over the range of interest. NMR is a
(CaF2) determination include measurement of fluoride by ion comparative technique therefore cannot be more accurate
selective electrode or ion chromatography, and calcium by than the reference technique against which it is being
complexometric titrimetry (ASTM E815). All of these methods compared; error is reduced by analysing more reference
are time-consuming operations, require skilled chemists and samples.
involve the use of potentially hazardous chemicals which
require disposal, all of which contribute to the cost of the
analysis.
Results
Table 1 shows a comparison of the predicted NMR values against
the given reference values. Deviations can be accounted for by
error in the reference values as well as fluorine from sources other
than calcium fluoride contributing to the NMR signal.
Table 2 shows that the repeatability (or precision) of the NMR
measurement of the same sample is excellent.
Sample ID Given %CaF2 (wt.-%) Predicted %CaF2 (wt.-%) Difference %CaF2 (wt.-%)
2
Application Note 19
Complete Package
Oxford Instruments offers a package especially tailored to the measurement of fluorine in fluorspar.
• Test/tuning samples
• Glass tubes
• User manual
• Method sheet
Optional items are:
• A precision balance
• A dry heater and aluminium block with holes for
sample conditioning at 40°C (optional)
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all trademarks and registrations. © Oxford Instruments plc, 2014. All rights reserved. Ref:CaF2-04-14
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