Milli-PIXE of coexisting cooperite and braggite – a comparison with electron probe microanalysis

Cooperite and braggite from the Merensky Reef were analyzed by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and milli-PIXE to obtain information on the partitioning of minor and trace elements between the two phases. Limitations of the electron microprobe at low concentrations excluded, in most cases, determ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Vol. 158; no. 1-4; pp. 550 - 555
Main Authors Franklyn, C.B, Merkle, R.K.W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 02.09.1999
Subjects
Braggite
Cooperite
Electron probe microanalysis
PIXE
Platinum-group minerals
Electron probe microanalysis
Cooperite
PIXE
Braggite
Platinum-group minerals
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Summary:Cooperite and braggite from the Merensky Reef were analyzed by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and milli-PIXE to obtain information on the partitioning of minor and trace elements between the two phases. Limitations of the electron microprobe at low concentrations excluded, in most cases, determination of elements such as Cu, Fe and Rh. First results from the PIXE analyses show that the sensitivity to trace elements has not improved. A striking difference between the techniques was the observation of a higher Pd to Pt ratio in PIXE analyses, as well as higher concentrations of Fe than previously observed. The information obtained from this study emphasizes the problem of comparing analytical results which were obtained by different micro-analytical techniques and constitutes an important step to fingerprinting these economically important minerals in platinum ores.
ISSN:0168-583X
1872-9584
DOI:10.1016/S0168-583X(99)00498-X