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Article: X-Ray Flourescence spectrometry: handheld XRF spectrometers permit the nondestructive analysis of materials quickly, accurately, and on-site.
- Article from:
- Advanced Materials & Processes
- Article date:
- August 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 ASM International. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry, a source of X-rays ejects electrons from the inner shells of the atoms of the sample. When an outer shell electron "drops down" to fill the void created in the inner shell, an X-ray characteristic of that atom is emitted. This process is called "fluorescence." All elements emit X-rays at their own characteristic energies. These X-rays are called "K lines" if they result from an electron filling the innermost, or K shell, and "L lines" if they result from filling the next electron shell, the L shell (Fig. 1).
The wavelengths of the X-rays identify the elements present in the sample, and the intensities of the X-ray lines are ...