First, the sample should be crushed to a fine powder. Place the sample in a mortar and
grind the solid to a fine powder with a pestle. Alternately, use the rounded end of a test tube to grind the sample in a beaker.
Next, the sample is loaded into a capillary tube. Tap the open end of a capillary tube
into the sample to be tested until 1 to 2 mm of the sample is in the tube. Turn the tube right side up and tap it on a hard surface until the solid falls to the bottom of the capillary.
If the solid will not go to the bottom of the capillary tube when the tube is tapped on a
hard surface, drop the tube through a long, narrow cylinder. Glass tubing is often a convenient cylinder.
