Abstract :
A report is presented here of an analysis of core-electron binding-energy (BE) data for solid elements from four sources. For each set of data, a single instrument had been used to measure BEs for many elements. In order to compare BEs from these four sources, it was necessary to recalibrate the BE scales of three instruments; this recalibration was performed using reference data from the UK National Physical Laboratory and a draft calibration standard. Mean BEs were then computed for those elements and core levels for which there were two or more measurements. Finally, individual differences from the mean values were calculated; this analysis disclosed several discrepancies in data due either to differences in specimens or to possible mistakes. Plots of differences in BE values from mean values versus BE indicated that the BE scales of the four instruments were close to linear. The mean BE values for each element appear to be a useful reference set for the determination of chemical shifts in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
