Dear Andrew, Thanks a lot for sharing your data, and the additional insight you have provided regarding Fe3C synthesis. You are right the data has glitches. Nevertheless, it was useful. Thanks again, Bhoopesh On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 6:15 PM, Andrew wrote:

Bhoopesh,

I would trust the XAFS.org spectrum more than mine, I'm sure that the APS has a better resolution etc. I'm aware that there are other forms of reduced iron carbide, but I did nothing special except for following the Li et al. paper. I then tried to see if the spectrum was similar to both the one on Dr. Newville's database as well as the Iglesia and coworkers' papers, and they were. I know this data is a bit glitchy... and I was pretty much only interested in the XANES.

If the person that Dr. Newville is referring to made the Fe3C from the iron melt it would have been a white powder, so they likely did a similar procedure as reducing the Fe2O3 std. to a sufficient temperature (at 1 atm). I have also heard from a former Exxon researcher that when they wanted to make cementite they simply CO reduced Fe2O3 to a sufficient temperature as well. I'm forwarding this directly to your e-mail as well. Hope this helps, if not (try and comparing it with the one on the XAFS.org, I remember when I checked it was similar).

Andrew Campos