• No : 5704
  • Date of Issue : 2021/04/28 13:52
  • Last Updated : 2021/05/20 09:02
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(EDX) "Hg" detected by RoHS analysis in resin containing a large amount of "Br"

I am performing RoHS analyses of hazardous elements (Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, Br) in resinsusing the calibration curve method. When a resin containing a large quantity of Br(bromine) was analyzed, Hg(mercury)was detected. The sample is not expected to contain Hg, so why is it detected?
Category : 

Answer

• Hg was detected due to the influence of the BrKαESC peak.
  → HgLα: 9.99 keV, BrKαESC: 10.16 keV
• With the EDX, when high intensity peaks are observed, it is likely that peaks (SUM, ESC) originating at the detector are being observed, and that they are interfering with the target element peaks.