Atomic spectroscopy.

Bruker AXS introduced its MicroSTAR-H "personal beamline" x-ray source at this year's Pittcon. Although it is a rotating anode source, the system produces an X-ray flux 10 times greater than traditional sources, comparable to a synchrotron beamline.

Innov-X announced the release of its Alpha series of handheld "point-and-shoot" XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) analyzers. The Alpha can detect elements from phosphorus to uranium and is notable for its small size and mass. Innov-X also unveiled the QXi micro-XRF for doing spot analysis on solid samples, typically electronics or precious metals.

The instrument division of Mitsubishi Chemicals introduced inAmerica the TCL-100 Chlorine/Sulfur analyzer, which is being distributed by COSA Instruments in North America. The instrument has a vertical furnace and sells for $30,000.

Also an American debut, the RA 3420 mercury analyzer was released by the Nippon Instrument Company at a price under $40,000. The system is completely automated from digestion to the final analysis by cold vapor AA. The instrument was introduced in Japan a year ago.

PerkinElmer released Chromera software for its ELAN ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer). Chromera enables a single-user interface for the ELAN ICP-MS and Series 200 HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) for elemental speciation analysis.

Spectro Analytical introduced the Genesis ICP, a simultaneous instrument with solid state detector priced at 50,000 [euro] ($66,200). The Genesis uses Spectro's ICAL calibration software to ensure that every instrument is calibrated to the same standard.

Thermo Electron's ARL brand showed off the ARL 9900 combined XRD (X-Ray Defraction)/XRF system for the detection of elements from boron to uranium over a wide dynamic range, and the ARL QUANT'X, an EDXRF spectrometer with a Peltier cooled detector and a system for dealing with X-ray scatter.