I want to know if it is possible for iron (Fe) to have negative values in groundwater. If it is possible, what are the possible causes of this scenario. Thank you for your valuable answer.
Absolutely not. This is a problem with your analytical data - meaning that the concentrations in the sample are as low as those in your instrument blank and that your linear regression calibration curve crosses the Y axis at a value higher than 0. Hence for any counts between 0 and the value where the linear regression crosses the Y axis you get negative concentrations.
I too agree with Dr. Thomas, that there is no possibility of getting negative value. Kindly repeat the analysis and verify your results. Good luck.
The concentration (of any dissolved constituent) can not be a negative value. In your analysis, if you get a negative value of iron, then it's an error. How it happens? Dr. Thomas Pichler has scholarly explained the same.
Regards
For the first look at your question, I got confused and i wondered what do you mean by Fe value?. Perhaps you meant other thing rather than content or concentration which are the meaning of "value" in geochemistry". But if you mean concentration of Fe or any other elements, it is impossible to have a negative value. You may have ULD (under limit detection) or non-detected, based on the detection limit of the instrument being used.
Dr. Yehia,
Mr. Adeniyi meant Fe concentration in groundwater. I also got confused first. You are right - value is not correct term in geochemistry to indicate concentration. Regards
It does depend on whether you meant for "value": Is that its oxidation state? Concentration? In both cases the answer is no: you can not have a "negative" Iron ion and you can not have a negative value for amount of matter in natural water bodies. In case you are getting negative values for Fe concentration, follow T. Pilcher comments. Also, you can try a low concentration set of standards within your expected concentration range and make sure your blank is really a blank (zero concentration of Fe). Cheers.
It is really impossible to get negative values. As Dr Thomas Pichler points out, the available concentration may be lower than that of the detection limit of the device used to measure the substance studied. In this case, it is necessary to treat the sample well (filtration, addition of nitric acid up to pH
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