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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples
Published on: June 19, 2018
Very first tests on SOLEIL regarding the Zn environment in pathological calcifications made of apatite determined by
Dominique Bazin1, Xavier Carpentier, Olivier Traxer
1Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Bâtiment 510, Université Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay, France. bazin@lps.u-psud.fr
Abstract:
This very first report of an X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiment at Synchrotron SOLEIL is part of a long-term study dedicated to pathological calcifications. Such biological entities composed of various inorganic and/or organic compounds also contain trace elements. In the case of urinary calculi, different papers already published have pointed out that these oligo-elements may promote or inhibit crystal nucleation as well as growth of mineral. Use of this analytical tool specific to synchrotron radiation, allowing the determination of the local environment of oligo-elements and thus their occupation site, contributes to the understanding of the role of trace elements in pathological calcifications.
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