X-ray mapping of dental amalgam using the electron microprobe.

Tin, copper, silver and mercury X-ray maps were obtained for amalgams prepared from three "high copper" commercial alloys. The data obtained from quantitative analysis of a silver-copper dispersed amalgam was subjected to major element analysis. X-ray mapping was found to reflect accurately the relative quantity of an element present in different regions of a map, thereby providing a reliable qualitative, part-quantitative analysis of the structure of the amalgam.