Comparison of low temperature radiofrequency ashing with other methods of organic sample oxidation for the determination of sodium in an acrylic fibre

Abstract

Acrylic fibre samples can be prepared for sodium determination by low temperature radiofrequency ashing, by ignition in air and by wet oxidation with a mixture of sulphuric and nitric acids or sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The sodium is determined by flame photometry. A minimum of eleven determinations by each technique allows a statistical examination of the results. It is demonstrated that low temperature radiofrequency ashing offers advantages in both precision of analysis and simplicity of sample handling.