Post #2357442
2026-04-26 15:25 UTC
@timmc@better.boston I would not consider using an XRF gun on any sample that is not a literal chunk of metal with a shiny clean surface, unless it was letting me see the raw spectrum. Even then...XRF does not have particularly great penetration depth, you are mostly testing whatever is on the line-of-sight surface. So if your sample is not homogenous it is less reliable. 1/2
Replies (1)
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@Methylzero@mast.hpc.social 2026-04-26 15:30
@timmc@better.boston 2/2 Plus, deriving an acutal concentration from the XRF return, instead of just a yes/no would require careful technique. I guess you could take a sample, put it in a plastic cup in some reproducible geometry, mix+measure 3 times, add 1 shot of a known concentration of lead nitrate, mix+measure 3 more times, add a second shot, mix+measure 3 times, fit a line on the lead peak heights vs. lead shot, then use that to estimate how much was in there originally. (standard addition method)