Investigation of the distribution of elements in snail shell with the use of synchrotron-based, micro-beam X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

In this study, synchrotron-based micro-beam was utilized for elemental mapping of a small animal shell. A thin X-ray spot of the order of ∼10 μm was focused on the sample. With this spatial resolution and high flux throughput, the X-ray fluorescent intensities for Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Cr and Cu were measured using a liquid-nitrogen-cooled 13-element energy-dispersive HpGe detector. The sample is scanned in a ‘step-and-repeat’ mode for fast elemental mapping and generated elemental maps at 8, 10 and 12 keV. All images are of 10 μm resolution and the measurement time was 1 s per point. The accumulation of trace elements was investigated from the soft-tissue in small areas. Analysis of the small areas will be better suited to establish the physiology of metals in specific structures like small animal shell and the distribution of other trace elements.