X-ray fluorescence
Learn about this topic in these articles:
chemical analysis of rocks
- In geology: Chemistry of the Earth
…follows: The X-ray fluorescent (XRF) spectrometer excites atoms with a primary X-ray beam and causes secondary (or fluorescent) X-rays to be emitted. Each element produces a diagnostic X-radiation, the intensity of which is measured. This intensity is proportional to the concentration of the element in the rock, and so…
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X rays
- In X-ray
…and caused the screen to fluoresce. Röntgen was able to show that the radiation responsible for the fluorescence originated from the point where the electron beam struck the glass wall of the discharge tube. Opaque objects placed between the tube and the screen proved to be transparent to the new…
Read More - In spectroscopy: Relation to atomic structure
The X-ray fluorescence radiation of materials is of considerable practical interest. Atoms irradiated by X-rays having sufficient energies, either characteristic or continuous rays, lose electrons and as a result emit X-rays characteristic of their own structures. Such methods are used in the analyses of mixtures of…
Read More - In spectroscopy: Applications
X-ray fluorescence and location of absorption edges can be used to identify quantitatively the elements present in a sample. The innermost core-electron energy levels are not strongly perturbed by the chemical environment of the atom since the electric fields acting on these electrons are completely…
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