Direct solid soil analysis by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

Abstract

Determination of heavy metals in soils by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) usually involves the time-consuming step of preparing a solution of the solid that is then nebulized into the plasma. According to regulations, digestion by aqua regia(hydrochloric acid + nitric acid, 3 + 1) should be carried out although it is known that this method is incomplete for silicate soils. The problem can be eliminated by introducing the solid directly into the plasma using the laser ablation technique for sampling. Results are described for a study of laser ablation using a Q-switched Nd: YAG laser coupled with a new échelle spectrometer which has a multichannel solid-state detector. The laser pulses were focused onto the solid surface of pressed soil samples to generate an aerosol which is entrained in a flowing Ar stream, transported through a tube and then introduced directly into the inductively coupled plasma. Some characteristics of the preparation technique, the selection of an internal standard and homogeneity tests of the elemental distribution are reported along with a comparison and evaluation of three methods of calibration. The criteria used to measure the performance of laser ablation ICP-AES are the relative standard deviations obtained of 4.9–12.7% and the accuracy, 0.3–12.4% for Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Zn and Ni.