Qualitative Phase Analysis and Search-Match

In qualitative analysis you try to determine which phases are actually present in your sample.

If you already know that one or the other phase is present, you should switch over to the "Restraints" section first, in order to find out how to directly select specific phases.

To determine the remaining phases in your sample, you can use the so-called "search-match" functions (available in the menu "Search").

These functions compare the diffraction pattern of your sample to the patterns of known compounds stored in the reference pattern database, by calculating a numerical value for the degree of agreement (the so-called "Figure-of-merit" (FoM)) for each of these "candidates". Afterwards, Match! presents a ranked list of these candidates in the candidate list, with the most likely phases (the ones with the best FoM values) at the top.

There are two different functions implemented in Match! for this purpose:

  1. The conventional (but proven) peak-based search-match.
  2. Since version 4, Match! also offers the innovative profile-fitting search-match.