Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry – Accuracy of Analytical Results and Detection Limits in the Determination of Trace Elements in Soils and Sediments
Keywords:
ICP-AES, spectral interferences, certified reference materials, soils, sedimentsAbstract
A radial viewing 40.68 MHz ICP equipped with a 1 m Czerny-Turner monochromator
(practical bandwidth 5 pm in the 2-nd order from 160 to 320 nm) was used for the determination
of As, Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr and Ba in soils and sediments. The quantification of spectral
interferences in the presence of Al, Ca, Mg, Fe and Ti as matrix constituents was made by the
Q-concept, as was proposed by Boumans and Vrakking. New spectral data with the above
mentioned equipment were obtained.
The aqua regia extraction procedure (ISO 11466) is widely used for most
environmentally important heavy metals. In the present paper it was shown that the certified
reference materials IAEA/Soil 7 and Lake Sediment IAEA/ SL-1 can be used for the
experimental demonstration of the accuracy of analytical results obtained with the aqua regia
dissolution procedure only for As, Mn, Cu and Pb. The elements Zn, Cr and Ba were silicatebound species.