ICDD PDF-4+ 2012 Instructions

Example 3: Two-­‐phase mixture of NaCl and Si
In a 2011 training school, students were asked to perform quantitative phase analysis using
the Rietveld method on a specimen that I had prepared. The specimen was 0.0641g NaCl
and 0.0183g Si, therefore 77.79 wt% NaCl, 22.21 wt% Si. The Rietveld method is the best
method for quantitative phase analysis, and the students were able to determine the
correct phases to within a couple of wt%.
I repeated the experiment using the SIeve+ software. I applied three basic filters: Na, Si
and Cl were set to ‘Maybe’, all other elements were set to ‘No’, and the total number of
elements in each card was to be 1 or 2 (this can be set in the ‘Elements’ tab).
SIeve+ found the NaCl straight away:
I accepted this card by clicking the handshake icon. SIeve+ then found the Si automatically –
bear in mind that this is great data collected on a well-­‐prepared specimen of two things with
simple crystal structures!