J. Mesjaszprzybylowicz et al., PROTON MICROPROBE AND X-RAY-FLUORESCENCE INVESTIGATIONS OF NICKEL DISTRIBUTION IN SERPENTINE FLORA FROM SOUTH-AFRICA, Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms, 89(1-4), 1994, pp. 208-212
Certain plant species growing on serpentinite soils are hyperaccumulat
ive of Ni. The ability to tolerate high Ni levels may have useful envi
ronmental and economic implications. However, the processes of Ni accu
mlulation and tolerance are not well understood. The proton microprobe
of the Schonland Research Centre was used in the PIXE mode to map the
lateral and cross-sectional distribution of Ni and other elements in
the tissue of species from the family Asteraceae, growing on serpentin
e outcrops in the Barberton district, south-eastern Transvaal. Element
al maps showed that the highest Ni enrichment was in the epidermis. En
ergy dispersive XRF fluorescence analysis was used for qualitative rap
id scanning to select suitable metal-rich plants and for quantitative
bulk analyses.