Abstract: The characteristics and analytical utility of laser microprobe mass analysis (LAMMA) are described and evaluated, and a short history of this recent microanalytical technique is presented. A review of the areas of application of LAMMA and related laser microprobes is presented with special emphasis on applications in the life sciences.

Abstract: By means of laser microprobe mass analysis (LAMMA) platinum was detected in the renal proximal tubular cells of a dog that had been intravenously adminstered the antitumor drug cisplatin (5 mg per kg body weight). No definite subcellular localization of the heavy metal was obtained. Sample prparation and analytical features are examined to increase spatial resolution of analysis while maintaining sufficient detection efficiency. The LAMMA method is destructive, but the amount and type of evaporated material can readily be determined when using LAMMA in combination with transmission electron microscopy. Instrumental optimization and standardization of mass signals is possible by using platinum-loaded, ion chelating resin beads embedded and sectioned with the tissue.

Abstract: The zirconium/hafnium ratios of zircons are determined using proton induced X-ray emission. Submilligram samples, imbedded in a starch layer and deposited on a 50 μg/cm2 polystyrene carrier, are irradiated for 1020 min with a 5 nA beam of 3.7 MeV protons, while the Hf-Lβ and Zr-Kα X-rays are counted with a Si(Li) detector. The standard deviation per analysis is in the 36 % range. Only few interferences are possible. To eliminate errors due to absorption effects the zircon layer thickness should be above 40 μm or reproducibly thin samples should be employed. Measuring the Hf-Lβ/Hf-Lα ratio for samples and standards might provide a practical check for the absence of absorption errors. The sensitivity is so favourable that, in practice, the minimal sample size is only limited by the minimal amount that can be handled properly.

Abstract: Air particulate samples were collected at Chapiquiña near Arica (Chile) with a six-stage cascade impactor for about 17-day periods during a 31 month interval. Sixteen elements were determined by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis, and the elemental concentrations were subjected to principal factor analysis. The variability with time of the coarse particles was described by two factors both related to soil dispersion, whereas the fine particle variations could be explained by a third factor related to marine influence. Enrichment factors were compared with those obtained in other remote continental areas, in particular those of air particulate matter sampled at Chacaltaya, Bolivia. Results point to a negligible anthropogenic influence.

Abstract: Nineteen elements were determined in four different grain size fractions of a bulk geological material from Cerro Impacto for a study of the physical (mechanical) concentration process of different elements based upon the hardness of the different minerals. The analysis was performed by excitation of the sample with a high, slow neutron flux followed by gamma-ray spectroscopy with both a conventional Ge(Li) high-energy detector and a low-energy photon detector (LEPD). The accuracy of this method was studied with the use of two standard reference materials, SY-2 and SY-3, which are similar to the real samples. The values determined were also compared with a secondary target x-ray fluorescence method for all the elements that were suitable to both methods. Actually, the x-ray fluorescence method was found to be more complementary than competitive.

Abstract: Mineral monazite from Malaysia has been investigated by energy dispersive x-ray analysis employing three different methods: x-ray, relativistic electron and proton induced excitation. An upper limit of 15 ppm has been placed on the possible concentration of the superheavy element with Z=126.

Abstract: A variety of samples, collected from different historical buildings and monuments throughout Belgium, were thoroughly studied, using several trace- and micro-analysis techniques. Thin sections of stones and mortar joints were characterized by means of electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPXMA). The morphological appearance of the surface weathering crust and the possible presence of non-innate particles in the crust were elucidated using petrographical and electron microscopy. Quantitative characterization of the total chemical composition of the crust surface layer and underlying layer was performed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence, and by ion chromatography and atomic absorption spectrometry for the leachable components. Special attention was also paid to the chemical composition of rain and air at the particular sampling sites. The element distribution in the transition zone between the weathering crust and the original stone material was found to vary greatly amongst the different samples analyzed. Detailed EPXMA measurements on pieces of the weathering crust showed remarkable differences in morphology and composition between the surface and the underlying layer, and provided information about the presence of fly-ash and soil dust particles in the crust. Except for crusts from the city of Brussels, which were all very high in sulphate, the samples appeared to contain very variable sulphate contents; very local micro-climate and environmental conditions at a particular site are more important in determining the weathering condition of the building stones than the local air pollution situation. Bulk analytical characterization further showed, in all the crust samples studied, a very small contribution of nitrogen- and chlorine-containing weathering products, in contrast to sulphur-containing weathering salts.