Author Description

This book is written for professional, academic and government analytical chemists. It is a "one-stop-shop" providing an overview and reference source on this subject, which has been growing steadily with outstanding technical developments in recent years. Non-destructive methods are generally nuclear techniques as they depend only on physical properties of the atomic nucleus and do not need the preparation of solutions. However some of the methods as XRF and ICP-MS-LA which depend on the inner electrons or the mass of the atom are also included as they are non-destructive. Non-destructive assays are expanding in the fields of materials, archaeology, biology and the arts. A team of expert authors describes all the major non-destructive methods available to the analyst clearly and concisely. In each case practical examples are used along with detailed coverage of equipment, methodology and underlying theory. In this way readers can gain an appreciation of how day-to-day work is connected to the basic principles.