XRF Wiki
Welcome to the XRF Wiki. This Wiki is a repository of information contributed by members of [email protected]. Members can view and edit the pages. The pages are currently not viewable by the public. The pages below represent a rough overview of the technology and techniques associated with X-Ray Florescence Spectroscopy as well as serving as a place for members to organize the spectra that they have contributed to the forum.?
As a starting point, the pages will be populated by information taken from member posts from the past few years - with references/attribution. Perhaps in time, these pages can be edited by members to make them more complete and less choppy. Members can also edit this page, making the structure of the content more organized.?
Pages can contain information about a particular topic, links to relevant resources (such as manuals, research papers, etc.), links to relevant forum discussions on the topic, book titles, or anything that might be useful.
What follows is very much a work in progress.
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Adding to the Wiki
For those unfamiliar with the Wiki phenomenon, it is basically a user editable encyclopedia. The idea is that there are pages with different articles, which the user can read and also choose to edit if desired. If a piece of information is incorrect, a link outdated, or the presentation choppy or unclear, the user can just click "Edit Page" at the bottom and then fix the mistake. There is also a "Page History," so if you a user were to make a mistake or maliciously destroy a page (which wouldn't happen here) an editor can come along and restore the page to a previous version.?
If you have used MediaWiki (the engine that runs behind the scene of Wikipedia.org) you will be familiar with a certain style of creating an article. There are tags that one uses to change the formatting of the parts of the article. The Wiki on Groups.io uses a different background engine and so the standard MediaWiki syntax does not apply here. Rather, the page is edited using the same tools as one would use to compose a message on the forums. If you are a programmer or someone who likes using the tagged syntax directly, you can access the underlying page source code, be activating the advanced editing toolbar (the icon with three lines on the far right of the basic toolbar) and then clicking on the source code icon <> on the far right of the Advance Editing Toolbar. You will immediately notice that the underlying source code is HTML. Most things can be done just by using the various icons, but advanced features like table can only be implemented by manually writing the source code. (Although there are website available that will generate the source code for you through a graphical interface.)
Here are some useful resources from Groups.io:?
Wiki Guide for Users and Editors
Message Composition Tips and Tricks
Overview of XRF
X-Ray Florescence vs. X-Ray Diffraction
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Hardware
This section describes the hardware used for XRF. We will describe the basic theory of operation of each stage in the processing tool chain and then present different commercial systems that are available as these systems are often integrated together.
[Editor note: General theory needs to be in an independent page separate from specific manufacturer information.
[Editor note - question: Should this be arranged by category, e.g detectors, preamps, etc or by manufacturer with the manufacturers product line on one page. Perhaps it's best to put a list of products with theory but the details of the products on a manufacture page...]
Detectors?- what's available, theory of operation, tradeoffs
Detector Cooling?- keeping detectors cool to avoid thermal noise and keeping the TEC from overheating
Preamps?- theory of operation, brief summary of what out there (and what not to do - such as trying to use a PMT preamp for a SiPIN diode...)
Pulse Processing Theory - high level overview of the stages of going from detector pulse to channel peaks on the computer
Commercial Systems - many commercial systems are integrated so it seems to make sense to present, for example all Amptek products together. [question: are their other affordable integrated systems besides Amptek?]
Amptek XRF System
Activation Sources - what do you use to make the sample fluoresce (that's within the amateur budget and doesn't require special licensing)
Software
- Device Control Software - what do you use to collect the data from the detector system
- XRF Analysis Software - what do you use to analyze the data, especially for quantitative measurements (composition percentages, thin film measurement)
- Free Software Tools
Note: there may be software packages that possess some or all of these characteristics.
Materials Spectra
Metals Spectra
Historic/Archeological Spectra
Reference Materials Spectra
Household Objects Spectra
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Resources
Videos
Articles
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Non-XRF Techniques
Gamma Spectroscopy
Raman Spectroscopy
FTIR - Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
Inductively Coupled Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
Spark Emission Spectroscopy
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
LIBS - Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Photoacoustic Spectroscopy
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Re: Phosphorescent Calcite
Ken,
I can run your calcite and see if we can see the activator. Generally Calcite will do a green or red . The most common activator is Mn+2 I but with a co-activator like Ce, Pb or Mg can you can
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Dude
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#1645
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Re: Phosphorescent Calcite
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1644
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Phosphorescent Calcite
I¡¯m really enjoying all of the discussion about analyzing various materials with XRF. I¡¯m quite impressed with the resolution and detail that some of you are obtaining using your ¡®amateur¡¯
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Ken Sejkora
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#1643
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
Just a question to be sure it¡¯s real Pb, is the soldered wire on the electrode above the water line? Is any part of the wire/electrode connection in the water? Is there solder on the electrode in
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Dude
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#1642
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
No telling what these are due to limited resolution and count time.
Taray, adjust your gain so the full scale you¡¯re looking from 0 - 64 keV. Anything above 60 is wasting resolution. Your count
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Dude
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#1641
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
OK on all. thanksGeo
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1640
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
GeoWill do the the bg count?Taray
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1639
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
GeoIgnore the novIt¡¯s?just there to organize my samples since changing settings?nov is for November?The one with lead water?control sample ?is?filter paper wet with clean?RO water?Lead water
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1637
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Update to Amptek free software program download site
Update to Amptek free software program download site
LabView and DPPMCA (2019)? latest versions:
https://www.amptek.com/software/software-downloads/dp5-digital-pulse-processor-software
Geo
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1636
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
One more question, do you have a long time background test with no exciter or sample?
If not, please put that on your list of things to do, for same 2800 seconds or whatever long time you use.
Geo
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1635
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
OK. I will look in to that,
First, the .mca called "nov" is that with the exciter in place but no water filter target?
Geo
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, November 7, 2020 4:51:28 AM
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1634
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
GeoI am not sure of the shifting downward trend.But most of my low Z samples esp containing organics such C,H ,O or N tend to have scattering peaks at 13 ,16 ,20 and 50.Their broad nature suggest they
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1633
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
Good work Taray. I was thinking the 3 large peaks were backscatter from the exciter source, but with your calibration they seem to be clearly shifted downward, do you have a theory?
Geo
To:
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1632
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
Hi guys
Repeated this test with more sample? concentrate .
Sampling preparation is important for optimal results.
Soaking a filter paper direct works better than scanning through plastic
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1631
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Re: Uranium Ore , Depleted Uranium, Natural Uranium (Unat) Compared
OK. I'm trying to make notes of the exciter source when the scan is XRF and note "Gamma Scan" when the scan is of only internal radiation from the subject material. Obviously radioactive decay leads
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1630
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Re: Uranium Ore , Depleted Uranium, Natural Uranium (Unat) Compared
GeoThe spectrum was done with external exciter Am241Yes I post replies when there are attachments via group siteWas not aware of pic sizing issues at?the receiving end?Ok will check if outTaray
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1629
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Re: Uranium Ore , Depleted Uranium, Natural Uranium (Unat) Compared
Good scan on the granite. Was this excited (XRF) or only internal (Gamma Spectrum Analysis) mode?
Some of us have a particular interest in the Gamma Spec mode (no exciter, just the Si-PIN sensor)
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1628
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Re: Uranium Ore , Depleted Uranium, Natural Uranium (Unat) Compared
Geo
Good topic.
Some? radioactive? ores are naturally link to certain elements.
Granite contains small amounts of Fe which can be measured by Si pin.
Here? is pic of my local granite showing Fe
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taray singh <sukhjez@...>
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#1627
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Uranium Ore , Depleted Uranium, Natural Uranium (Unat) Compared
Uranium Ore , Depleted Uranium, Natural Uranium (Unat) Compared
For this topic we will examine the various forms of Uranium and its decay chain.
Using XRF and also Gamma Spectrum Analysis, and any
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1626
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Re: Chinese water filter analysis
Yes everything looks very nicely collected and the calibration is perfect. So yes the peak I showed at 10.55keV vs control should be exactly valid.
Usually 10.55 = Pb and also look for the mate,
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GEOelectronics@...
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#1625
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Edited
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