Characterization of Solids

Abstract

The characterization of a solid should describe the features of its composition and structure (including defects) that are significant for the reproduction of the synthesis and for the study of its properties or use. The property measured should reflect directly and unambiguously on the material’s composition or structural features. There are many published papers that claim purities of 99.999% (5–9′s) or 99.9999% (6–9′s) for the starting materials used to synthesize a compound of interest. Such claims are of questionable validity since estimates of purity from such techniques as direct emission spectrographic analysis are in the range of only ≈10 ppm for most elements.