EDXRF analysis for elements of adjacent atomic number but grossly different concentrations

A method to overcome difficulties inherent in quantitative analysis by energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence of samples that contain widely different concentrations of two or more,elements having similar atomic numbers (Z) was investigated. Results obtained by computer simulations and simple experiments show that significant increases in the intensities of the x-ray emitted by the lower-Z element relative to those from the higher-Z element can be achieved through the proper design of a primary-source secondary-fluorescer exciter system and a detector window filter. (author)