X-Ray Diffraction Service . . . XRD Service for Identification of minerals or other crystalline materials at only $40 a sample.
At Attard's Minerals in San Diego, California we provide an affordable X-Ray Diffraction Service for the Identification of minerals or of man-made crystalline materials. In Industrial circles this is often referred to as phase ID. We provide this service to individuals, industry and other organsiations. We provide XRD as well as Electron Microprobe Services. XRD is able to distinguish between different structures even when the composition is the same; like calcite / aragonite or adamite / paradamite. Our regular rate for X-Ray Diffraction or Microprobe is $40. This includes the interepretation of the X-Ray data. We do not give you the spectrum and then tell you that you have to pay us extra to interpret it!
X-Ray Diffraction has long been the Professional's method of choice for mineral ID but at a hundred bucks a sample that most laboratories charge it has been prohibitively expensive for mineral collectors and enthusiasts. Corporations have kept paying the high prices anyway...they have big budgets.
Our Mission in this is to provide an affordable X-Ray Diffraction Service. By special arrangement between one of us and a past employer ( good to leave on good terms) we are able to offer such Mineral or Phase ID Service at a special rate of $40 a sample! (complex orders may be more).
We will provide you with results quickly unless we are at a trade show or similar busy time ... so ask us first by email attard@attminerals.com or phone 619 275-2016 (from 7 am to 7 pm US Pacific Standard Time please) to find out if we anticipate any delay.
X-Ray Diffraction takes into account not only the chemistry of a mineral but most importantly its crystal structure a distince advantage over other methods. A material need not have obvious external crystallinity: it could be polished material and XRD will work just fine!
A) Mineral Collectors/ Dealers: It will help a lot if you send us the clean mineral or at least tell us clearly which part of a sample you are interested in. To do this use a small clean screwdriver on a sheet of paper to break off a representative but non-prominent crystal from a specimen so as to avoid damage. You need to send a sample only about 2 mm across . . . more is better but not a tiny speck! A fragment the size of a rice grain , or even half that is enough but do not try to send a little as possible especially when you have plenty of material: your spectra will look much better. Part or all of the material will be powdered and we may do additional tests if needed (additional reason to send more) but we anticipate that X-Ray Diffraction will give definitive information. We will email you the full report without delay to act as documentation for what you have, or call you with the resuls and mail you the hard copy if you prefer it that way We believe you will be very pleased with the instant clarity of the results. If the amount is extremely tiny we can do it by microprobe but it takes longer and results may be less conclusive than X-Ray Diffraction. So whenever possible please send a piece large enough for XRD (minimum for XRD is half a rice grain). We will run it using the most appropriate method be it XRD, microprobe or other method. Please no inclusions unless you have already isolated them out of the matrix.
It is to be pointed out that there is no perfect and universal method for identifying minerals. For example although XRD is what we believe to be the best method for mineral ID it will not always give a definitive identification: it may tell us something is a garnet but not necessarily which one it is. In such a case microprobe work or chemical analysis may be needed. If one were to start off doing microprobe, bypassing XRD one may get to know composition but not that the mineral is a garnet. In other words the two methods are complimentary. Usually XRD by itself is sufficient... but in 5 to 10% of cases microprobe or chemical analysis needs to suppliment it. Be assured that we have no wish of maximising your expenditure.
If you wish to learn more about the science regarding XRD and promise not to yawn at the physics, visit http://pubs.usgs.gov/info/diffraction/html/index.html . . but there is no link to get you back here, you will need to click the "back" button of your browser. We may mention that results you get from us regarding your analysis, will be much clearer than this old USGS paper shows due to our use of more modern equipment.
B) Industry: XRD can also analyze man-made materials including organic polymorphs, (phase analysis or phase identification) as long as they are crystalline; this is of great value to Industry. The extensive databases we work from have not only the over 4000 known minerals but the more than 300, 000 crystaline man-made materials that Chemists, Materials Scientists and Engineers worldwide have produced for electronic, optical, semiconductor, laser and for pure research purposes over decades of work. Price to Industry: Essentially $40 too BUT but this fourty bucks is for basic service. Industry often asks for more detailed work or a rushed serivce and may therefore cost more so please ask us.
Having been with Industry as Research Chemist for over 20 years I understand Industry's concerns about confidentiality of data and the imporance of prompt and reliable results.
To use our service, please send the sample or samples in a small plastic / paper bag etc in a padded envelope or little package as you see appropriate to the address below being sure you supply your address, phone and email address.We receive such envelopes from anywhere in the world usually by postal service which is very economical.
It is important that you tell us by phone or email attard@attminerals.com ahead of time you are sending samples, so we let you know how soon we can run them for you. For XRD it will usually be faster than your envelope or package takes to get to us. You can pay by credit card , check or money order etc but do not send cash in the mail.
We cater to Foreign Customers as well . . . we are here to serve everyone! Our service is 30 Euros or 4560 Yen or whatever you use that correspomds to 40 US Dollars. . . . payment questions just ask us. Your envelope from anywhere in the world with just regular postage is very economical for you to send and it takes only about five days to reach us. We can email you the Full Report and that is immediate! (If you prefer postal service we can do that too). Due to the undervalued US Dollar you will probably find that our service costs less than in your country. Again we suggest you email us first as to what you intend to send. attard@attminerals.com . ... Please send samples to:
John Attard
ATTARD'S MINERALS
P. O. Box 17263
San Diego, CA 92177.
USA.
(619) 275-2016 . . . . attard@attminerals.com . . . Page updated May 5 of 2009.