Calibrations, Standardizations, and Blank Corrections

Calibrations, Standardizations, and Blank Corrections

We introduced a relationship between the measured signal,S_meas, and the absolute amount of analyte

Smeas = knA + Sreag      ……… 5.1

or the relative amount of analyte in a sample

Smeas = kCA + Sreag     ……… 5.2

where n_A is the moles of analyte, C_A is the analyte’s concentration, k is the method’s sensitivity, and S_reag is the contribution to S_meas from constant errors introduced by the reagents used in the analysis. To obtain an accurate value for n_A or C_A it is necessary to avoid determinate errors affecting S_meas, k, and S_reag. This is accomplished by a combination of calibrations, standardizations, and reagent blanks.