Chemical effects on the satellite lines of sulfur Kβ X-ray emission spectra

Abstract In this work, the effects caused by different chemical environments in several sulphur compounds ( S 0 , S - 2 , SO 3 2 - , S 2 O 5 2 - , SO 4 2 - and S 2 O 3 2 - ) were studied from the theoretical and experimental points of view. The structural changes produced in the S Kβ emission spectra were analyzed by using the Molecular Orbital Theory. The spectra calculated by using theoretical data taken from the literature show an agreement with the experimental data measured in a commercial equipment of X-ray Fluorescence. The presence of four lines, a principal one, Kβ 1,3 and three satellites, Kβ ′, Kβ x , and Kβ ″, in some compounds was determined. The relative intensity of the Kβ ′ line in the sulfates and sulfites permits to show the difference of the covalent character of the S–O bond between both clusters. The energies of the Kβ 1,3 principal line and of its satellites do not depend on the cation but their intensities vary when the latter is replaced by hydrogen. The experimental results found in this work show an agreement with the theoretical and empirical values obtained by other authors.