The Bruker Tracer-III SD is an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer that enables rapid, non-destructive, qualitative analysis of elements ranging from Magnesium to Uranium, with rapid data acquisition (1-3 minutes) and minimal sample preparation. The principle of operation and detection is similar to the tabletop µ-XRF instrument and relies on X-ray fluorescence energies. The X-ray fluorescence is a process whereby electrons are displaced from their atomic orbital positions, releasing a burst of energy registered by the detector, which in turn categorizes the energies by element. When pulling the trigger, an X-ray beam with enough energy to impact the electrons of the inner shells of the atoms in a sample is created. The X-ray beam then interacts with the atoms in the sample by displacing electrons from the inner orbital shells of the atom. An excitation and relaxation process follows, generating photons in the X-ray range that is unique to each element of the periodic table. The entire process is fast leading to reliable measurement in matter of seconds. Depending on the nature of the sample and the level of precision required (qualitative quantitative) the measurements can take few seconds (percentages) to few minutes (part-per-million levels)