Precious Metals Reference Materials
| A new and promising trend of Krastsvetmet Analytical Laboratory’s activity is the development, production and certification of reference materials of various kinds (State standard materials, inner standard reference materials and calibration standard materials). ÎñíàTo produce solid and disperse standard reference materials of noble metals composition and of noble metals based alloys the laboratory equipment of the international manufacturers, such as Fritsch, Retsch, WAB and Linn is used. The importance of standard reference materials developments for the Laboratory is great as today the leading methods are spectrometric ones: atomic absorption and X-ray fluorescence, while the customers’ requirements for noble metals purity demand special analysis methods for fine metals. |
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Solid reference materials are produced by induction melting. Induction melting technique is preferable because it is fast, accurate, easy to apply, reproducible and cheap for reference materials production. Advanced Linn (Germany) furnaces controlled by microprocessor are applied for melting. Maximum melting furnaces capacity (Platinum): |
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Dispersed platinum metals bearing Standards reference materials fabrication is quite a challenge. These materials are characterized by a sufficient difference in the material density and that of components to be attested. Therefore the process of initial reference material fabrication requires the conditions ensuring the homogeneity of all the material but to ensure the composition identity of the final portions of a standard sample. Standard sample material preparation includes materials drying, grinding to required size, screening, adding special ingredients, blending and dividing to final standard reference materials portions. The analysts of the Standard Sample production are directly involved into the process throughout all the stages of Standard Samples development under GOST 8.315-97. |
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It should be mentioned that the basic material for of Standard samples is JSC Krastsvetmet’s products: platinum metals, gold and silver of purity 99.99% and higher. Presently refined gold reference materials are under development, in addition to the available state standard reference materials. Refineries and assay laboratories are invited to collaborate and participate in new reference materials interlaboratory attestation process. |
