This award will support the development of mineral standards for the calibration of analyses for the light elements of hydrogen, lithium, beryllium, boron, and fluorine in geological materials. Accurate determination of the chemical content of geological materials is critical to understanding their origin and potential uses. The light elements listed above have traditionally proven difficult to analyze directly and accurately. With the development of modern analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry, secondary ion mass spectrometry, particle-induced gamma-ray emission spectrometry, neutron activation analysis, ion chromatography, and the electron microprobe these elements can be analyzed directly with the help of well-calibrated comparison standards. Selection of mineral standards, their analysis, and dissemination of the results will be handled by the Principal investigator and colleagues.
