Composition of prehistoric rock-painting pigments from Egypt (Gilf Kébir area).

The composition of rock-painting pigments from Egypt (Gilf Kebia area) has been analyzed by means of molecular spectroscopy such as Fourier transform infrared and micro-Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled to an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer and X-ray fluorescence analysis. Red and yellow pigments were recognized as red and yellow ochre with additional rutile.

Argentinean prehistoric pigments' study by combined SEM/EDX and molecular spectroscopy.

Composition of the prehistoric pigments' (from Carriqueo rock shelter, Rio Negro province, Argentina) has been analysed by means of molecular spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and micro-Raman) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled to an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). Red and yellow pigments were recognized as red and yellow ochre. The matrix of the pigments is composed of one or more substances. According to the matrix composition yellow and red pigments were also divided into two groups-i.e. those containing kaolinite or sulphates. Green pigment was detected as green earth, made up of celadonite as a chromophore.

Heterogeneity assessment in individual CaCO3-CaSO4 particles using ultrathin window electron probe X-ray microanalysis.

In our previous studies, it has been demonstrated that both the excitation interactions between electrons and the atoms of the matrix and the matrix and geometric effects of electron-induced X-ray signals can be described by Monte Carlo simulation for low-Z elements, such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, in individual atmospheric microparticles. In addition, by the application of a quantification method, which employs Monte Carlo simulation combined with successive approximations, at least semi-quantitative specification of the chemical compositions could be done. This has enlarged the scope of electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) for the single particle analysis of atmospheric environmental aerosol particles. In this work, we demonstrate that the heterogeneity of individual particles, even of micrometer size, can be characterized by the application of EPMA. X-ray photons obtained with different primary electron beam energies carry information on the chemical compositions for different regions in the particles. Artificially generated heterogeneous CaCO3-CaSO4 individual particles were measured at different accelerating voltages, and it was found that the Monte Carlo calculation is a powerful technique to extract the information on the heterogeneity of the particles that is contained in the measured X-ray data. Our approach can even estimate the thickness of the surface CaSO4 species by the application of the Monte Carlo calculation. A preliminary result for carbon-coated glass particles is also presented. The complexity involved in the analysis of real world particles is briefly mentioned with a result for heterogeneous SiO2 particle.

Single-particle analysis of aerosols at Cheju Island, Korea, using low-Z electron probe X-ray microanalysis: a direct proof of nitrate formation from sea salts.

A recently developed electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA), called low-Z EPMA, employing an ultrathin window energy-dispersive X-ray detector, was applied to characterize aerosol particles collected at two sampling sites, namely, Kosan and 1100 Hill of Cheju Island, Korea, on a summer day in 1999. Since low-Z EPMA can provide quantitative information on the chemical composition of aerosol particles, the collected aerosol particles were classified and analyzed based on their chemical species. Many different particle types were identified, such as marine-originated, carbonaceous, soil-derived, and anthropogenic particles. Marine-originated particles, such as NaNO3- and Na2SO4-containing particles, are very frequently encountered in the two samples. In this study, it was directly proven that the observed nitrate particles were from sea salts. In addition, two types of nitrate particles from sea salts were observed, with and without Mg. The sodium nitrate particles without Mg were believed to be collected as crystalline form, either with the sodium nitrate particles being fractionally recrystallized within evaporating seawater drops or with recrystallized sodium chloride particles having reacted with gaseous nitrogen species in the air to form the crystalline sodium nitrate particles. The other seemed to be collected as seawater drops, where the atmospheric reaction had occurred in the droplets, and thus sodium as well as magnesium nitrates were observed. Carbonaceous particles are the most abundant in the samples at both sites. From this study, it was found that about three-quarters of the carbonaceous particles in the samples were biogenic, which partially explains a previously reported observation of a large concentration of organic carbon particles as compared to elemental carbon. Various soil-derived particles were also observed. In addition to aluminosilicate- and iron oxide-containing particles, which are ubiquitous components in soil-derived particles, CaCO3-, Al2O3- and Cr-containing particles were also frequently encountered.