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Before being crushed in the X-Press, hard rock samples for ICP analysis are polished (Figure 1.1 and 1.2) and cleaned in a sonic bath at least three times (for 10-15 minutes each): the first round of cleaning is with isopropyl alcohol and the following rounds are with DI water (Figure 1.3, see ICP Sample Preparation for further details). Hard rock samples for XRD analysis do not usually need to be polished before being crushed.
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Take a scoop of quartz sand and put it in your vessel(s) and run it as you would a sample for several minutes (~3 min should be adequate).
Remove the vessel and empty out the sand. Scrub the pieces with tap water and a scouring pad and rinse with DI water. Dry with a Kimwipe, and then spray with isopropyl alcohol and wipe down with Kimwipes. If your vessel is particularly dirty run a combination of quartz sand, a little hot water and detergent (Borax). This can be run for several minutes. A thick paste will form and then you clean it as normal.
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XRD Sample Preparation Hard Rock - September 27, 2022