| Main uses: | Determinations of elemental and chemical state compositions |
| Range of elements: | All except hydrogen and helium |
| Destructive: |
Not generally, some beam damage to X-ray sensitive materials A handbook on X-ray damage for a wide range of polymers is available |
| Chemical state: | Yes |
| Sample: |
All vacuum-compatible materials; flat samples best; size accepted depends on particular measurement |
| Depth probed: | 5-50 Angstroms |