SEM: Standard Block

Overview
Design (pdf)
Compositions (xlsx)
Individual standards, click on maps below

The standard block is a 1″ (25 mm) diameter and 0.2″ (5 mm) thick brass disk with 97 holes. In each hole is a crystalline or glass material, most of which are suitable as primary or secondary X-ray analytical standards. Each has been chemically characterized to one degree or another. In the images below, click on any of the 97 locations, or the margin, for details of each material. In the detailed pages elements are shown for which concentrations are known to be at least 0.01% by weight (the block can also be used with electron probes). Concentrations are in weight percent of the elements, not the oxides. The disk bottom is exposed metal, so the block can either be mounted in a 1 inch (25 mm) rounds mount or it can rest on any flat metal sample holder without need of conductive paint, but don’t let it slip off. The polished, carbon coated surface is extremely fragile, so never touch it even with gloves unless you are planning on repolishing and recoating it.

01 Arsenopyrite 02 Boulangerite 03 Bornite 04 Cobaltite 05 Chalcopyrite 06 Pentlandite 07 Pyrrhotite 08 Pyrite 09 Sphalerite 10 Tetrahedrite 11 Fluorite 12 Quartz 13 Topaz, fluoride 14 Sanbornite 15 Tanzanite 16 Albite 17 Microcline 18 Augite 19 Hedenbergite 20 Rhodonite 21 Celestite 22 Titanite 23 Andalusite 24 Prehnite 25 Bixbyite 26 Albite, Amilia 27 Albite 1 28 Acmite 29 Actinolite 30 Bustamite 31 Barite 32 Diopside glass 33 Benitoite 34 Dumortierite 35 Ankerite 36 Chromite 37 Oligoclase 38 Orthoclase 39 Diopside 40 Beryl 41 Pyroxmangite 42 Apatite, chloride 43 Synthetic glass NIST-1834 44 Astrophyllite 45 Staurolite 46 Calcite 47 Chromite, magnesian 48 Andesine 49 Copper 50 Diopside, chromian 51 Ferroactinolite 52 Wollastonite 53 Apatite, carbonate 54 Basalt glass BCR-2G 55 Andradite 56 Cordierite 57 Dolomite 58 Franklinite 59 Labradorite 60 Biotite 61 Enstatite 62 Hornblende 1 63 Fayalite 64 Apatite, fluoride 65 Basalt glass BHVO-2G 66 Grossular 67 Almandine 68 Rhodochrosite 69 Hematite 70 Labradorite PG-721 71 Tremolite 72 Hedenbergite 73 Gedrite? 74 Forsterite 75 Scapolite 76 Basalt glass BIR-1G 77 Spessartine 78 Siderite 79 Ilmenite 80 Bytownite 81 Phlogopite 82 Jadite 83 Glaucophane 84 Monticellite 85 Sodalite 86 Strontianite 87 Magnetite 88 Anorthite 89 Zircon 90 Hornblende 2 91 Hastingsite 92 Tanzanite 2 93 Perovskite 94 Rutile 95 Spinel 96 Riebeckite? 97 Hornblende 3 Brass

Cartoon standard block map. Click on each sample to learn more about it. Here is a PDF of both maps. Color codes inside circles are as follows:

Blue: Primary standards: Homogeneous and chemically well-characterized.

Yellow: Secondary standards: Homogeneous but chemically not so well characterized. With more work these can become primary standards.

Pink: Questionable: See comments for each standard; may be inhomogeneous, a mixture of several different phases, or compositionally poorly characterized.

01 Arsenopyrite 02 Boulangerite 03 Bornite 04 Cobaltite 05 Chalcopyrite 06 Pentlandite 07 Pyrrhotite 08 Pyrite 09 Sphalerite 10 Tetrahedrite 11 Fluorite 12 Quartz 13 Topaz, fluoride 14 Sanbornite 15 Tanzanite 16 Albite 17 Microcline 18 Augite 19 Hedenbergite 20 Rhodonite 21 Celestite 22 Titanite 23 Andalusite 24 Prehnite 25 Bixbyite 26 Albite, Amilia 27 Albite 1 28 Acmite 29 Actinolite 30 Bustamite 31 Barite 32 Diopside glass 33 Benitoite 34 Dumortierite 35 Ankerite 36 Chromite 37 Oligoclase 38 Orthoclase 39 Diopside 40 Beryl 41 Pyroxmangite 42 Apatite, chloride 43 Synthetic glass NIST-1834 44 Astrophyllite 45 Staurolite 46 Calcite 47 Chromite, magnesian 48 Andesine 49 Copper 50 Diopside, chromian 51 Ferroactinolite 52 Wollastonite 53 Apatite, carbonate 54 Basalt glass BCR-2G 55 Andradite 56 Cordierite 57 Dolomite 58 Franklinite 59 Labradorite 60 Biotite 61 Enstatite 62 Hornblende 1 63 Fayalite 64 Apatite, fluoride 65 Basalt glass BHVO-2G 66 Grossular 67 Almandine 68 Rhodochrosite 69 Hematite 70 Labradorite PG-721 71 Tremolite 72 Hedenbergite 73 Gedrite? 74 Forsterite 75 Scapolite 76 Basalt glass BIR-1G 77 Spessartine 78 Siderite 79 Ilmenite 80 Bytownite 81 Phlogopite 82 Jadite 83 Glaucophane 84 Monticellite 85 Sodalite 86 Strontianite 87 Magnetite 88 Anorthite 89 Zircon 90 Hornblende 2 91 Hastingsite 92 Tanzanite 2 93 Perovskite 94 Rutile 95 Spinel 96 Riebeckite? 97 Hornblende 3 Brass

BSE image standard block map. Click on each sample to learn more about it. Here is a PDF of both maps.