The bulk loss function Im(-l/ε (ω)), a well established tool for the interpretation of valence loss spectra, is being progressively adapted to the wide variety of inhomogeneous samples of interest to the electron microscopist. Proportionality between n, the local valence electron density, and ε-1 (Sellmeyer's equation) has sometimes been assumed but may not be valid even in homogeneous samples. Figs. 1 and 2 show the experimentally measured bulk loss functions for three pure silicates of different specific gravity ρ - quartz (ρ = 2.66), coesite (ρ = 2.93) and a zeolite (ρ = 1.79). Clearly, despite the substantial differences in density, the shift of the prominent loss peak is very small and far less than that predicted by scaling e for quartz with Sellmeyer's equation or even the somewhat smaller shift given by the Clausius-Mossotti (CM) relation which assumes proportionality between n (or ρ in this case) and (ε - 1)/(ε + 2). Both theories overestimate the rise in the peak height for coesite and underestimate the increase at high energies.
