Abstract
If scattering amplitudes are ordinary complex numbers (not quaternions) then there is a universal algebraic relationship between the six coherent cross sections of any three scatterers (taken singly and pairwise). A violation of this relationship would indicate either that scattering amplitudes are quaternions, or that the superposition principle fails. Some experimental tests are proposed, involving neutron diffraction by crystals made of three different isotopes, neutron interferometry, and KS-meson regeneration.