Spectroscopy November 2019 X-Ray Spectroscopy Methods & Applications

University of Granada researchers compared different methods and their effectiveness in classifying ink found in historical documents.

A new approach to analyzing bituminous coals was created using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

With Pittcon 2025 officially beginning, here are some notable upcoming workshops based around the advancement of spectroscopy.

Spectroscopy recently sat down with Dr. Geraldine Monjardez and two of her coauthors, Dr. Christopher Zall and Dr. Jared Estevanes, to discuss their most recent study, which examined the crystal structure of ammonium nitrate (AN) following exposure to explosive events.

In recent years, advances in X-ray optics and detectors have enabled the commercialization of laboratory μXRF spectrometers with spot sizes of ~3 to 30 μm that are suitable for routine imaging of element localization, which was previously only available with scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS). This new technique opens a variety of new μXRF applications in the food and agricultural sciences, which have the potential to provide researchers with valuable data that can enhance food safety, improve product consistency, and refine our understanding of the mechanisms of elemental uptake and homeostasis in agricultural crops. This month’s column takes a more detailed look at some of those application areas.

HSI is widely applied in fields such as remote sensing, environmental analysis, medicine, pharmaceuticals, forensics, material science, agriculture, and food science, driving advancements in research, development, and quality control.