The use of portable X-ray fluorescence across the industry has been remarkable over the past few years. Originally born in the alloy and scrap metal detection industry, the technology was later determined to be effective in environmental field monitoring, particularly contaminated land and remediation work. It can be said that the use of portable XRF in soil science has driven the development of mineral exploration. And thanks to constant updates of XRF technology, now XRF is more responsive and accurate, these changes have revolutionized the way scientists conduct real-time in situ and field investigations.
Can a portable XRF detector be used directly to test gold purity?
In the work of detecting gold content, the most common working method is the flame test method. The metal is melted by a flame, and the concentration of gold or other metal components is detected. For a long time, the flame method was known as the best way to detect gold. But such detection methods are destructive and unfriendly to pawn companies.
And portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology is another technique commonly used in pawn shops, cash-for-gold businesses, and jewelry stores. Using the XRF precious metal analyzer, shop workers can measure the content of all gold and precious metals and determine the presence and concentration of other trace elements, alloying elements, and hazardous heavy elements that may affect health and items without destroying the item’s valuation. This will increase the integrity of the item.
When we developed the Handheld XRF Gold Analyzer, we analyzed six large flat objects made of different grades and compositions of gold, and we found that the accuracy was typically within 0.1% or 0.2% of the flame analysis results. The experiment concludes that TrueX Gold can completely test the composition of items with high accuracy.
Advantages of portable XRF for gold detection
The intelligent non-destructive testing instrument of X-ray fluorescence analysis technology (XRF) can accurately detect the content of various elements in gold, platinum, palladium, K gold, K platinum, and other jewelry. EXF series precious metal detectors use multi-channel analyzers, At the same time, the spectrum analysis technology is applied to accurately and vividly present the content and ratio of gold, platinum, palladium, silver, rhodium, copper, zinc, nickel, and many other elements in the jewelry in the form of a spectrum.
The main advantages of XRF are as follows:
- Non-destructive testing;
- Wide measurement range: all kinds of gold, platinum, palladium, silver, and other precious metal alloys can be measured;
- Fast measurement speed: According to the measurement requirements, the measurement results can be obtained within a few seconds to a few minutes;
High measurement progress: measurement error is ±0.1% for pure gold.
Can X-ray fluorescence completely replace flame detection of gold?
It is undeniable that X-ray fluorescence can not only accurately check the authenticity of gold, but also, most importantly, analyze the exact purity of gold. What affects the pawnshop’s income is often the purity of the gold. It is a good method for detecting gold, but it still cannot fully detect thick plating and counterfeiting. Therefore, we strongly recommend using X-ray fluorescence to perform a secondary test to ensure that there is no thick coating and counterfeiting.
If you are interested in an XRF analyzer, you can check our website, our Handheld XRF Gold Analyzer will be your powerful helper in analyzing precious metals.
