Spectroscopy-07-01-2005

Spectroscopy previews products and sessions for attendees to see and participate in at the 54th Annual Denver X-Ray Conference, to be held August 1–5 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Using MXRF, researchers have developed a novel method that detects fingerprints through the salts that are excreted in sweat.

In this study X-ray absorption was used to determine the effect of pH on the coordination of lead to humin and sphagnum peat moss. The authors determined the oxidation state and the coordination of lead to both humin and sphagnum peat moss using X-ray near edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. In addition, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy was used to determine the amount of lead bound to the humin and sphagnum peat moss in the pH range 2–6.

Laser ablation ICP-MS enables identification and comparison of physical crime-scene evidence. Discriminating elemental and isotopic differences of solid samples directly at the parts-per-billion level provides forensic scientists with a powerful analytical tool.