X ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry was perhaps the first spectroscopic technique which could successfully be applied in the field and in industrial environments for in situ analysis of various materials. Modern, high resolution, portable XRF analysers bring to field sites not only an excellent performance often matching that of laboratory instruments but also unsurpassed savings in time and labour. This publication describes the results of the Coordinated Research Project on In situ Applications of XRF Techniques, including improvements in the construction of field-portable XRF analysers, methods and procedures for correction of major interfering effects to improve interpretation and quantification of the analytical results, as well as complete operating procedures and guidelines for selected in situ applications for: (i) sampling and analysis of soils, sediments and rocks, (ii) non-destructive analysis of works of art and (iii) characterization of alloys and scrap metal sorting.
