Application of the Grimm glow discharge lamp (GDL) for the analysis of geological and related materials

Abstract

The Grimm glow discharge lamp (GDL) is used for the direct spectrochemical determination of the major and minor elements in solid geological materials and related non-conducting matrices that vary widely in mineralogical, chemical and textural properties. A study of the sputtered surfaces using a scanning electron microscope indicates that material transport is non-thermal. As a result, glow discharge lamp (GDL-AES) atomic emission spectrometry is essentially free from the influence of the physical and chemical composition of the sample. As a consequence, major and minor elements can be determined with accuracy and precision, thus substantiating the validity of Grimm GDL-AES for the analysis of non-conducting materials.