ABSTRACT
Spectroscopic analysis of the intensity and distribution of the x-ray signal generated within a sample provides elemental and chemical information of a qualitative nature which may be quantifiable under strictly defined conditions. Two types of instruments are available: the wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS) and the energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). This chapter deals superficially with the EDS technique and dwells on the specifics of x-ray spectroscopic analysis of paper. The main constituent elements of wood fibers are carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, low atomic weight elements constituting compounds (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) with average atomic weights that are themselves low. One faces several decisions when doing EDS analysis of paper resulting from the need to irradiate the sample with sufficient energy to cause the emission of x-rays by all the elements present and from concomitant complications created by the structure of paper.
