MICROSCOPIC X-RAY-FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS INVITED LECTURE

The status of microscopic X-ray fluorescence analysis with tube excita tion and synchrotron radiation is reviewed in terms of the lateral res olution, minimum detection limits and elemental sensitivity that can b e achieved. As illustrations, the utilization of two typical state-of- the-art instruments for the analysis of geological material is describ ed; one of the instruments is based on tube excitation, the other is i nstalled at a synchrotron X-ray source. The analytical implications of the use of X-ray microprobes installed at a third generation storage ring, and in particular at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), are discussed.