Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
Profile changes of copper Lα (L3-V) and Lβ (L2-V) X-ray fluorescence spectra are interpreted. It is shown that the intensity of the high energy shoulder of the Cu L X-ray spectra has a relation to the intensity of the so-called ‘shake-up’ satellite in 2p X-ray photoelectron spectra; the high energy shoulder of the divalent copper La is weak for covalent compounds and strong for ionic compounds. It is also shown that the Lβ/Lα intensity ratio changes with the change of copper concentration of the analyte as well as the change of chemical state of the analyte.