An Automated Sample Changer For X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis Of Bio-Medical Samples

A sample changer designed to process automatically up to 48 2-cc samples is described. Mechanical drive mechanisms, digital electronics logic, and operational flow diagrams are presented. The changer is an integral part of a system consisting of an x-ray exciting source, a turntable changer, a Si(Li) radiation detector, and a preprogrammed pulse-height analyzer. X-ray fluorescence analysis of a sample allows quantitation of selected trace elements after simple spectral integrations are performed by an on-line microprocessor. Selection of the changer's MIX mode will cause each solution sample to be mixed just prior to analysis, thus insuring that representative tracer concentrations are determined.