Electron Microprobe Analysis of Oxygen in an Iron Meteorite

Abstract
A quantitative analysis of oxygen in the iron-nickel matrix of the Santa Catherina iron meteorite has been accomplished by using an electron microprobe with dispersive x-ray optics and by applying theoretically calculated corrections to the observed intensity ratios. Microvolume analyses and two-dimensional scanning images in OKα, FeLα, and NiLα x-radiation show that the high nickel phase of the meteorite has been oxidized while the low nickel phase has remained unoxidized.