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Recent improvements in both X-ray detectors and readout speeds have led to a substantial increase in the volume of X-ray fluorescence data being produced at synchrotron facilities. This in turn results in increased challenges associated with processing and fitting such data, both temporally and computationally. Herein an abridging approach is described that both reduces and partially integrates X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data sets to obtain a fivefold total improvement in processing time with negligible decrease in quality of fitting. The approach is demonstrated using linear least-squares matrix inversion on XRF data with strongly overlapping fluorescent peaks. This approach is applicable to any type of linear algebra based fitting algorithm to fit spectra containing overlapping signals wherein the spectra also contain unimportant (non-characteristic) regions which add little (or no) weight to fitted values, e.g. energy regions in XRF spectra that contain little or no peak information.

Oxygen K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy is used routinely to study a range of solid materials. However, liquid samples are studied less frequently at the oxygen K-edge due to the combined challenges of high-vacuum conditions and oxygen contamination of window materials. A modular sample holder design with a twist-seal sample containment system that provides a simple method to encapsulate liquid samples under high-vacuum conditions is presented. This work shows that pure silicon nitride windows have lower oxygen contamination than both diamond- and silicon-rich nitride windows, that the levels of oxygen contamination are related to the age of the windows, and provides a protocol for minimizing the background oxygen contamination. Acid-washed 100 nm-thick silicon nitride windows were found to give good quality oxygen K-edge data on dilute liquid samples.

Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging enables visualization and quantification of microscopic distributions of elements. This versatile technique has matured to the point where it is used in a wide range of research fields. The method can be used to quantitate the levels of different elements in the image on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Two approaches to X-ray fluorescence image analysis are commonly used, namely, (i) integrative analysis, or window binning, which simply sums the numbers of all photons detected within a specific energy region of interest; and (ii) parametric analysis, or fitting, in which emission spectra are represented by the sum of parameters representing a series of peaks and other contributing factors. This paper presents a quantitative comparison between these two methods of image analysis using X-ray fluorescence imaging of mouse brain-tissue sections; it is shown that substantial errors can result when data from overlapping emission lines are binned rather than fitted. These differences are explored using two different digital signal processing data-acquisition systems with different count-rate and emission-line resolution characteristics. Irrespective of the digital signal processing electronics, there are substantial differences in quantitation between the two approaches. Binning analyses are thus shown to contain significant errors that not only distort the data but in some cases result in complete reversal of trends between different tissue regions.

It is now possible to perform X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) on metalloprotein crystals at the Canadian Macromolecular Crystallography Facility bend magnet (CMCF-BM) beamline (08B1-1) at the Canadian Light Source. The recent addition of a four-element fluorescence detector allows users to acquire data suitable for X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine-structure based studies by monitoring fluorescence. CMCF beamline users who wish to supplement their diffraction data with XAS can do so with virtually no additional sample preparation. XAS data collection is integrated with the established Mx Data Collector software package used to collect diffraction data. Mainstream XAS data-processing software packages are available for the users; assistance with data processing and interpretation by staff is also available upon request.

As synchrotron light sources and optics deliver greater photon flux on samples, X-ray-induced photo-chemistry is increasingly encountered in X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) experiments. The resulting problems are particularly pronounced for biological XAS experiments. This is because biological samples are very often quite dilute and therefore require signal averaging to achieve adequate signal-to-noise ratios, with correspondingly greater exposures to the X-ray beam. This paper reviews the origins of photo-reduction and photo-oxidation, the impact that they can have on active site structure, and the methods that can be used to provide relief from X-ray-induced photo-chemical artifacts.

Measurement of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in transmission is the method of choice for strong or concentrated samples. In a typical XAS experiment above 5 keV the sample is placed between the first (I(0)) and second (I(1)) ion chambers and a standard foil is placed between the second (I(1)) and third (I(2)) ion chambers for simultaneous calibration of energy during sample analysis. However, some fluorescence from the foil may be registered in I(1), causing anomalies in the transmission signal of the sample, especially when the sample edge jump is relatively small. To remedy this, Soller slits were constructed and placed between the foil and I(1) to minimize back-fluorescence from the foil. A comparison of blank and standard samples, measured with or without Soller slits or under a worst-case scenario, demonstrates the advantages of Soller slits when analyzing weak signal samples via transmission XAS.

Many inorganic species are now recognized as being essential for life, including many forms of sulfur, phosphate and numerous classes of metal ions. For example, recent progress in the fields of biochemistry and biology has pointed out the critical importance of sulfur in the biosynthesis of vital cofactors and active sites in proteins, and in the complex reaction mechanisms often involved. Special attention has also been drawn to the diverse roles of alkaline (Na(+), K(+)) and alkaline earth (Mg(2+), Ca(2+)) metal ions in mediating the activity of RNA, proteins and many processes in living cells. While the general effect of these ions in biology is mostly understood, information on their detailed role is deficient. Here the application of softer X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to probe the local structural and electronic environment of such ions within their biological complexes and during physiological reactions is discussed. In addition, the required experimental set-up and the difficulties associated with conducting softer XAS experiments on biological samples are presented.

Tapered metal monocapillary optics provide a potential alternative to conventional methods of producing small X-ray beams. This paper presents the initial results of chemically specific imaging using such devices. Cellular resolution of organic selenium is obtained in a longitudinal section of mature Astragalus bisulcatus, a selenium hyperaccumulating plant. This work demonstrates the utility of metal monocapillary optics for imaging dilute levels of target elements in biological tissues.