No, basically XRF shots a beam of x-rays at the coin and the x-ray beam reacts with the metal atoms making up the coin which creates fluorescence based on the individual electron interactions in the sample (coin). The fluorescence is detected and quantified telling how much of each element is present. Here is a link to more detail of how it works: https://www.bruker.com/products/x-r...ntal-analysis/handheld-xrf/how-xrf-works.html
Very interesting and thank you very much. Once again I have learned something today I did not know about yesterday.
My apologies; I thought you were familiar with the technology. It's limited in terms of how deep it can go into metal, really thick plating can defeat it although more powerful, more expensive machines can vary that. They're available handheld these days. At Winter FUN 2013, I watched a guy demonstrate it with a slabbed counterfeit gold coin; nailed the alloy composition from outside the slab. It was a coin not previously known to be counterfeit.... The cost of the tech is coming down but good handhelds are just breaking under $10k these days. No doubt in my mind the TPG's have had good table models for years.
No apologies necessary. I worked for Becton Dickinson (syringes) for 38 years but never ventured into the micro-biology lab there. Makes me wonder if they might have had one of these there. I still have a friend in the lab I'm going to ask. Getting old does not mean I don't have a long ways to go in the learning curve.
If I ever win the lottery I'm going to buy Chris and I one of these for each of us so we can tell Uncle Sam to take a hike.