Nondestructive Analysis of Silver in Gold Foil Using Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

• Published in: Analytical Sciences Vol. 21; no. 7; pp. 785 - 787
• Main Authors: KASAMATSU, Masaaki, SUZUKI, Yasuhiro, NAKANISHI, Toshio, SHIMODA, Osamu, NISHIWAKI, Yoshinori, MIYAMOTO, Naoki, SUZUKI, Shinichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry 2005; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• ISSN: 0910-6340; 1348-2246
• DOI: 10.2116/analsci.21.785

Small particles of gold foil detached from an indoor decoration might be important evidence to associate a suspect with a crime scene. We have investigated the application of elemental analysis using synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to discriminate small particles of gold foil. Eight kinds of gold foil samples collected in Japan were used in the experiments. As a result of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, only two elements, gold and silver, were detected from all gold foil samples. The intensity ratios of AgKα/AuLα showed good correlation with the content ratios of Ag/Au. The variation of intensity ratio within a same sample was sufficiently small compared with those of different samples. Therefore the comparison of this intensity ratio can be an effective method to discriminate small particles originating from different types of gold foil.