Use of the terms recovery and apparent recovery in analytical procedures - (IUPAC recommendations 2002)

The terms recovery and apparent recovery are recommended to avoid confusion caused by the use of the term recovery to cover two distinct situations. These situations deal with: (a) the yield of a preconcentration or extraction stage of an analytical process (where recovery is recommended) and (b) the quantity observed value/reference value, obtained using an analytical procedure that involves a calibration graph (where apparent recovery is recommended).