Sample Powders: KBr, KCl and CSi

KBr powder is graded solely by purity standards that are relevant to infrared spectroscopy.

We do not use such terms as 5 9s (99.999%) , 6 9s (99.9999%) as the means used to test material for such certifications, such as emission spectroscopy, do not detect the types of contaminants that produce absorption bands in an infrared spectrophotometer. In the industry, the highest specification for transmission optics is beam splitter grade material which is generally specified by FTIR spectrophotometer OEMs as material having absorption bands due to impurities of less than 1% measured at 4 wave resolution between 4400cm-1 and 450cm-1. The cut off for commercial grade KBr crystal optics at ICL is material having absorption bands due to impurities of less than 2% at 4 cm-1 resolution. Other manufacturers use a looser standard.

SpectroGrade™ KBr powder is all made from crystal boules that are suitable for IR spectroscopy based upon ICL’s testing standards. FTIRGrade SpectroGrade™ KBr powder is made from KBr crystal boules that are not quite beam splitter grade material and is defined as material that does not have any absorbance peaks in excess of 1.5%.

FTIR Premium SpectroGrade™ is the equivalent of beam splitter grade material, and it is made from a blend of KBr crystal boules in which peaks range from 0.9% to 1.1 %. XL Ultrapure SpectroGrade™ is a blend of material from rare boules that exhibit absorbance bands under 0.8% and the impurity range goes down to 0.2%. Sample purity certificates as pdf files can be printed from this site.

Please be advised that only FTIR Premium and XL Grades are available until further notice.

Spectrograde™ KCl Powder

Spectrograde™ KCl powder makes IR pellets of extremely high quality with low moisture content and low impurity content. Spectrograde™ KCl comes directly from ICL’s own KClingot stock. This powder is ideal for producing KCl pellets and a 100gm bottle will yield approximately 250 7mm pellets.

Spectrograde™ CsI Powder

CsI powder is a low refractive index material that is valuable to those spectroscopists with instruments extending into the far infrared. CsI produces continuous spectra up to 50 microns.

Random Cuttings – Chunks of KBr and KCI

Samples being analyzed by diffuse reflectance are often combined with a powder so that a matrix can be formed. KBr and KCl are excellent media for diffuse reflection sampling and for pellets.
KBr and KCl sold as random cuttings can be ground finely immediately prior to being mixed with the sample for either diffuse reflection or transmission pellets. Random cuttings ground into powder a short time before being mixed with a sample will contain less water than pre-made powders. Sampling Tip: Mix the powder with the sample, do not grind it into the sample. Ask for ICL’s instruction pamphlet “Making KBr Pellets”.

Dimensional & Symmetrical Cuttings – KBr, KCI & NaCl

KBr, KCl and NaCl are cubic in structure (100 cleavage plane), and can be cleaved into relatively precise shapes. Cleaved pieces do not absorb atmospheric moisture. They are useful as teaching aids and as blanks for precision polished optics. Ask us for prices on any sizes or shape.

Paper Inserts

Paper inserts are used with 13mm die sets to frame a pellet for ease of handling, to make micro pellets or to enable making a pellet from a smaller sample charge. Use of paper inserts also facilitates removal of the pellet and mounting it in a magnetic holder.

To learn more, visit our catalog for random cuttings and spectroscopic powders.