This lesson explores Bronzital, a copper-based alloy developed in Italy from 1926. It focuses on its composition, historical use in coinage, and its characterization with XRF spectroscopy. Students will analyze spectra from Bronzital coins to understand alloy identification and the challenges in detecting low-Z elements.
Objectives
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Recognize its role in Italian coinage from 1926 onward.
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Interpret XRF spectra of Bronzital coins.
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Identify limitations of detecting aluminum with standard XRF setups.
Materials
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Example Bronzital coins (e.g., 20 lire 1970, 200 lire 1978)
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XRF instrument with adjustable filter setup
Lesson Plan
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Introduce Bronzital: copper–aluminum alloy, with ~90% Cu, ~8% Al, ~2% Ni
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Examine two coin examples: 20 lire (1970) and 200 lire (1978).
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Present XRF spectra: copper peaks dominant, nickel visible, aluminum initially absent.
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Explain why aluminum’s low atomic number requires a no-filter setup to reveal the 1.5 keV peak.
