As you hint, raw composition isn't even half the story. You can put your microscopic samples in the mass spec and then melt the same elements together and not e

As you hint, raw composition isn't even half the story. You can put your microscopic samples in the mass spec and then melt the same elements together and not end up with the same stuff. Treatment, how it's worked, how it's coated are just as important. Not to mention how contaminated filings usually are.