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Atomic physics · Moseley's law

Identify elements by their X-ray fingerprint.

Record characteristic X-ray lines and determine the Rydberg constant from your own spectra.

X-ray fluorescence experiment
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X-ray fluorescence and Moseley's law
✓ Available in the U.S. 110V/60Hz Adapted University Level
University Experiments / Physics

X-ray fluorescence and Moseley's law

Article No. P2524715

The irradiation of iodine, barium (sulfat), silver and tin with soft gamma-radiations gives rise to Ka radiations characteristics of these elements. The X-ray spectra are recorded with a gamma spectrometer consisting of a scintillation counter, a pulse height analyser and a recorder. After calibration of the spectrometer, the Rydberg constant is determined from the energies of the X-ray lines, using Moseley's law.

  • A high ranking nuclear physics experiment can be performed by students within some hours
  • The combination of multichannel analyzer (MCA), gamma detector and high precision HV power supply leads to precise results
  • Fundamental Rydberg's constant and Mosley's law are easily determined
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Try it yourself

Pick an element

Choose a sample to see its Kα line energy, and compare it with the Moseley's law estimate students calculate.

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What your students will do
1

Excite the samples

Irradiate each sample so it emits its own characteristic Kα X-rays.

2

Record the spectra

A scintillation counter and pulse height analyzer capture the X-ray lines after calibration.

3

Apply Moseley's law

Plot the square root of line energy against atomic number and extract the Rydberg constant.

A great fit for
Atomic PhysicsModern PhysicsAnalytical ChemistryAdvanced Undergraduate Lab
Ag · Sn · I · BaElements analyzed
Kα linesCharacteristic radiation measured
Rydberg constantDetermined from students' data
Atomic number Z√(Kα energy / keV)AgSnIBa46505458

Typical student results: the square root of Kα energy rises linearly with atomic number (illustrative).

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Yes. Units supplied through American Scientific are adapted for 110V/60Hz and supported in the U.S., including warranty and replacement parts.

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