Abstract

A method was developed for the determination of arsenic, bismuth, antimony and tin in low-alloy steels. The method provides the means for the analyst to determine analytes using simple aqueous standards to prepare calibration lines. Samples were dissolved in 10 mL aqua regia without heat. Four Standard Reference Materials from NIST were analyzed by the proposed technique. Good agreement was obtained between experimental values and certified values for arsenic, bismuth, antimony and tin. Within the limits of the matrices of the samples analyzed, the method developed is independent of matrix. Detection limits in solution for As, Bi, Ge, Sb and Sn were 0.2, 0.2, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.2 µg L⁻¹ respectively.