Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Experimental Protocol to Investigate Particle Aerosolization of a Product Under Abrasion and Under Environmental Weathering
Published on: September 16, 2016
Chemical boundary conditions for the classification of aerosol particles using computer controlled electron probe
Willemien Anaf1, Benjamin Horemans, René Van Grieken
1Department of Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium. willemien.anaf@ua.ac.be
Abstract:
A method for the classification of individual aerosol particles using computer controlled electron probe microanalysis is presented. It is based on chemical boundary conditions (CBC) and enables quick and easy processing of a large set of elemental concentration data (mass%), derived from the X-ray spectra of individual particles. The particles are first classified into five major classes (sea salt related, secondary inorganic, minerals, iron-rich and carbonaceous), after which advanced data mining can be performed by examining the elemental composition of particles within each class into more detail (e.g., by ternary diagrams). The CBC method is validated and evaluated by comparing its results with the output obtained with hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) for well-known standard particles as well as real aerosol particles collected with a cascade impactor. The CBC method gives reliable results and has a major advantage compared to HCA. CBC is based on boundary conditions that are derived from chemical logical thinking and does not require a translation of a mathematical algorithm output as does HCA. Therefore, the CBC method is more objective and enables comparison between samples without intermediate steps.
Related Concept Videos
Preparation of Samples for Electron Microscopy
Scanning Electron Microscopy
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Atomization Methods
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Lab
Classifying Matter by Composition
According to its composition, the matter can be classified into two broad categories — pure substances and mixtures.
A pure substance is a form of matter that has a constant composition throughout with uniform properties. For example, any sample of sucrose has the same composition and same physical properties, such as melting point, color, and sweetness, regardless of the source from which it is isolated.
A mixture is composed of two or more types of...
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Instrumentation

