Article
Article
X-ray spectrometry
Article By:
Birks, L. S. X-Ray Optics Branch, Radiation Technology Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC.
Last reviewed:February 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.751100
Show previous versions
- X-ray spectrometry, published June 2020:Download PDF
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
A quantitative analysis technique for measuring the elemental composition of a sample. X-ray spectrometry (Fig. 1) differs from x-ray diffraction, whose purpose is the identification of crystalline compounds. It differs from spectrometry in the visible region of the spectrum in that the x-ray photons involved have energies of thousands of electronvolts and come from tightly bound inner-shell electrons in the atoms, whereas visible photons come from the outer electrons and have energies of only a few electronvolts. See also: Atom; Electron; Electronvolt; Photon; X-ray; X-ray diffraction
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
