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Different minerals are composed of different chemical compounds and generally have different molecular crystal lattice structures. It is thus possible, using a variety of optical techniques, to differentiate a particular mineral from its ore and to then sort the mineral of interest from any unwanted by-products. Spectroscopic techniques such as UV-VIS spectrophotometry, FT-IR, emission spectroscopy, and Raman spectrometry are used to determine molecular concentrations in a particular sample. Historically, these have been laboratory tools, but today analysis is often performed in situ or online with miniature portable spectrometers.
To detect certain minerals, fluorescence and luminescence techniques can be used. For example, when the electrons in certain gemstones are excited with low-energy X-rays, they emit blue light upon returning to their ground state. Even though the fluorescence is quite weak, it can be detected online and at high speed by photomultiplier tubes or PMT linear arrays. For more detailed analysis of mineral samples, various other imaging techniques are relied upon. These include X-ray crystallography, electron spectrometry, mass spectrometry, neutron radiography, X-ray absorption, and scanning electron microscopy.
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Recommended products
- H7260 series PMT assembly: multianode, 32-channel PMT with high sensitivity to UV, blue, and green light. Useful for high-speed in-line inspection of mineral samples.
- R6095 28 mm head-on PMT: low profile type, spectral response from 300 to 650 nm.
- C9914GB near-infrared mini-spectrometer: can be used for in-situ analysis of mineralogical samples, as an alternative to sending specimens to a laboratory for analysis using large FTIR equipment.
- C9728DK-10 X-ray flat panel sensor: low-noise active pixel CMOS sensor with CsI scintillator. Can be used to capture digital images of X-ray diffraction patterns. Ideal for X-ray crystallography equipment.
- S9973-1008 CCD image sensor: excellent near-infrared sensitivity from 700 to 1100 nm. This low-noise sensor is better suited for Raman spectroscopy than conventional CCDs, which have limited sensitivity beyond 900 nm.
Please contact us for information on other products which can be used for this application.
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