Evaluation of analytical uncertainty in quantitative determination of elements; The Case of boron

Sumita, Takehiro*   ; Osawa, Takahito  ; Chiu, I.-H.; Ikeda, Atsushi  

The uncertainty including accuracy and precision is the most vital factor that determines the overall quality of quantitative analysis. The objectives of this study are (1) to investigate the analytical uncertainty of a prompt gamma-ray analysis (PGA), a chemical interference-free method in principle, on the quantitative analysis of boron and (2) to evaluate the applicability of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), a common technique for quantitative elemental analysis including boron. PGA provided analytical quantity that is equivalent to the true quantity. The analytical uncertainty in both methods was adequately evaluated by comparing the results from PGA and ICP-OES for a series of boron-containing materials with different physical/chemical properties and the major sources of uncertainty in both methods are specified. The evaluation concept demonstrated in this study could be beneficial to a wide range of analytical chemistry.