A new approach of direct sample-digestion before vaporization for determination of a metal in rocks by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

A new approach to sample digestion, subsequent vaporization and introduction to an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectrometer was developed for the direct determination of magnesium. To each small sample cuvette made of tungsten, a ground rock sample was precisely weighed. The cuvette was situated on a tungsten boat furnace. Ammonium fluoride solution was added to the cuvette as a chemical modifier. After the on-furnace digestion has been completed, the analyte, magnesium, in the cuvette was vaporized and introduced into the ICP atomic emission spectrometer. Since the powdered samples were wet-digested in the sample cuvettes prior to vaporization, they could be analyzed by using a calibration curve prepared from aqueous standard solutions. This method was applied to the determination of magnesium in several standard reference materials with satisfactory results.     

Pressure assisted chelating extraction: a novel technique for digesting metals in solid matrices

This work describes a novel technique for the digestion of metals in solid matrices. The technique is called pressure assisted chelating extraction (PACE). In a typical procedure, a solid sample is placed in a stainless steel cell and is mixed with appropriate chelating agents. Using a programmed sequence of temperature, static time, pressure and thermal equilibration available in ASE 200, the metal is removed under moderate temperature (up to 200 degrees C) and pressure (up to 3000 psi). PACE achieves metal recovery that is equivalent to that of wet digestion techniques and also provides for a clean and safe operation by substituting the strong acids commonly used during wet digestion with chelating agents. It uses less solvents and significantly less time (minutes vs. hours) for metal digestion. PACE has been validated using certified standard reference materials (SRMs) including industrial sludge, buffalo river sediments and coal fly ash. The total time required to remove metals was approximately 20 min. Results show that the PACE system provides an ideal platform for efficient, rapid, and safe metal digestion. Good agreement between measured and reference values for Pb, Mn, and Cu were found with recoveries averaging between 80 and 101% and a relative standard deviation of less than 5%. This approach may provide an alternative digestion technique for environmental samples, alloys, biological materials and samples of geological importance. The potential advantage offered lies in non-destruction of the sample, automation and the exclusion of concentrated mineral acids during the digestion procedure.     

Ultrasound assisted pseudo-digestion of street dust samples prior to determination by atomic absorption spectrometry

A sample preparation method based on ultrasound assisted pseudo-digestion of Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni from street dust samples under ultrasonic effect has been described. Parameters influencing pseudo-digestion, such as sonication time, sample mass, particle size and solvent system were fully optimized. Final solutions obtained upon sonication were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The best conditions for metal pseudo-digestion were as follows: a 25 min sonication time, a 0.3 g sample mass (in 25 ml solvent), a particle size <63 μm and a mixture of concentrated HNO₃-HClO₄-HF (2:1:1, v/v/v). Analytical results for the four metals by ultrasound assisted pseudo-digestion, acid bomb and conventional wet digestion methods showed a good agreement, thus indicating the possibility of using mild conditions for sample preparation instead of intensive treatments inherent with the digestion methods. In addition, this method reduces the time required for all treatments (pseudo-digestion or digestion, heating to dryness, cooling and separation) with acid bomb and conventional wet digestion methods approximately from 9 to 1 h. The accuracy of the method was tested either by comparing obtained results with those of acid bomb and conventional wet digestion methods or by application on two standard reference materials. The average relative standard deviation of ultrasound assisted pseudo-digestion method varied between 0.9 and 1.8% for N = 12, depending on the analyte.     

Closed vessel microwave-assisted wet digestion with simultaneous control of pressure and temperature in all vessels

A novel system for microwave-assisted wet digestion in closed vessels is described. Six pressure vessels made of quartz or Hostaflon^® TFM are placed in a special rotor in a microwave oven. During sample decomposition the pressure and temperature are measured in each vessel, and the data are transferred from the rotor by means of infrared light to the control unit. This means that no pneumatic or electronic connections to the vessels need to be established, providing very easy handling. The temperature history of each vessel is recorded; so the progress of each sample digestion may be reconstructed later on. Thus the requirements for quality control in sample digestion are available for the first time. For sample digestion at 75 bar and up to 280°?C, quartz vessels with 50 mL volume are used. Depending on the matrix, the maximum sample loading capacity is 1.2 g. TFM-vessels with 100 mL volume work at 30 bar up to 240°?C. The performance of the digestion system was tested with twelve standard reference materials. The results closely matched the certified values.     

微波消解-分光光度法快速测定农药废水中的总磷

利用微波消解技术对农药废水样品进行预处理,然后进行其中总磷的测定,消解时间从传统的高温高压消解30 min缩短到8 min.用微波消解-分光光度法和高压消解-分光光度法对两个农药废水样品进行了6次平行比对测定,测定结果经统计检验无显著性差异.微波消解法测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.483％～0.906％(n=6),加标回收率为95.5％～97.0％.该方法准确、快捷,适用于农药废水中总磷的快速测定.     

Development and optimisation of a novel three‐way extraction technique based on a combination of Soxhlet extraction,membrane assisted solvent extraction and a molecularly imprinted polymer using sludge polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as model compounds

A novel technique that integrates extraction and clean‐up into a single step format is reported as part of the search for new sample preparation techniques in the analysis of persistent organic pollutants from complex samples. This was achieved by combining the extraction efficiency of the Soxhlet extractor, the selectivity of a size exclusion membrane and the specificity of a molecularly imprinted polymer for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from wastewater sludge followed by quantitation using gas chromatography with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. The approach is described as the Soxhlet extraction membrane‐assisted solvent extraction molecularly imprinted polymer technique. This technique was optimised for various parameters such as extraction solvent, reflux time and membrane acceptor phase. The applicability of the developed technique was optimised using a wastewater sludge certified reference material and then tested on real wastewater sludge samples. The method detection limits ranged from 0.14 to 12.86 ng/g with relative standard deviation values for the extraction of the 16 US‐EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from wastewater sludge samples ranging from 0.78 to 18%. The extraction process was therefore reproducible and showed remarkable selectivity. The developed technique is a promising prospect that can be applied in the analysis of organic pollutants from complex solid samples.     

Closed vessel microwave-assisted wet digestion with simultaneous control of pressure and temperature in all vessels

A novel system for microwave-assisted wet digestion in closed vessels is described. Six pressure vessels made of quartz or Hostaflon^? TFM are placed in a special rotor in a microwave oven. During sample decomposition the pressure and temperature are measured in each vessel, and the data are transferred from the rotor by means of infrared light to the control unit. This means that no pneumatic or electronic connections to the vessels need to be established, providing very easy handling. The temperature history of each vessel is recorded; so the progress of each sample digestion may be reconstructed later on. Thus the requirements for quality control in sample digestion are available for the first time. For sample digestion at 75 bar and up to 280° C, quartz vessels with 50 mL volume are used. Depending on the matrix, the maximum sample loading capacity is 1.2 g. TFM-vessels with 100 mL volume work at 30 bar up to 240° C. The performance of the digestion system was tested with twelve standard reference materials. The results closely matched the certified values. Received: 18 September 1997 / Revised: 3 November 1997 / Accepted: 6 November 1997     

微波消解ICP-MS测定海洋沉积物中微量元素

采用微波消解-电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法同时测定海洋沉积物中的Cr、Co、Ni、Cu、Zn、Cd、Pb7种微量元素。对微波消解酸体系和微波程序进行了优化,结果表明:由4 mL HNO3与2 mL HF组成的混合酸对沉积物消解效果好;阶段升温,最高温度200℃,消解30 min有着最佳的消解效果。采用本实验方法对7种不同类型的海洋沉积物标准物质进行了测定,测定结果与标准值一致。各元素的检出限在0.009~0.17 ng/g之间。该方法快速简便、准确度高,可用于海洋沉积物样品中多元素同时测定。     

Digestion of organic components in waste materials by high pressure ashing with infrared heating

In respect of complete digestion of organic waste materials, a relevant potent digestion technique was developed, and a prototype of a high pressure ashing device with infrared heating (IR-HP-asher) was built. The apparatus consists of six quartz digestion vessels inside a steel autoclave. The performance of the IR-HP-asher was tested for pure organic substances, for representative wastes from the recycling industry, and for several biological samples. In all cases, complete digestion could be attained within 90 min as well as complete recovery of metal(loid)s present in the sample. Concerning the completeness of digestion and absence of analyte loss, the IR-HP-asher was found to be superior to two conventional microwave digesters also tested.     

Digestion of titanium bearing geologic materials involving microwaves

An environmentally friendly and rapid digestion procedure involving 10 mL of acid mixture (HNO3 : HCl : HF = 2:2:1) for 0.1 g of sample in closed vessel microwave digester following heating program : 250W for 10 min., hold time 2 min., 600 W for 17 min, and Ventilation time 10 min was developed. The operating parameters were varied and optimized by factorial design approach using "Steepest Ascent" method. The validity of the recommended digestion procedure were examined by analyzing several well characterized standard reference materials such as diabase (W2), basalt (BIR-1, JB-3, BHVO-1), granite (G2), gabbro (JGb-1), Mn-nodule (Nod-A-1, Nod-P-1), sediment (STSD-4, LKSD-2), limestone (KH-2), soil (SAu-1), ilmenite (IGS-31), rutile (IGS-32), Zircon (IGS-35) and titanium dioxide (SRM-154b) employing both inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and well known spectrophotometric method. An excellent agreement between the methods and the certified values of standard reference materials suggest that the digestion procedure can be used for quality control and allied purposes.     

Possibilities and Limitations of Fast Temperature Programming as a Route towards Fast GC

One possible way to speed up a gas chromatographic analysis is the application of fast temperature programming by using resistive heating techniques. With this heating technique programming rates up to 20° per second can be reached. A relative standard deviation of retention times better than 0.2% is obtained. Using fast temperature programming the analysis-times of a mineral oil sample, an industrial oligomer sample, and toxic compounds in diesel fuel have been reduced 5 to 20 times, compared to a standard temperature programmed analysis. In most cases resistive heating cannot be applied to reduce the analysis time of a complex sample. The use of fast temperature programming is preferable to the use of short columns and columns operated at above-optimum carrier gas velocities.     

Comparison of ultrasound-assisted leaching with conventional and acid bomb digestion for determination of metals in sediment samples

In this paper, a sample preparation method based on ultrasound assisted leaching of Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Mn from river and pond sediment samples under ultrasonic effect has been described. Parameters influencing leaching such as sonication time, sample amount, particle size and extractant were fully optimized. Leachatants obtained upon sonication were directly nebulised into an air-acetylene flame for fast metal determination by atomic absorption spectrometry. The best conditions for metal leaching were as follows: a 25 min sonication time, a 0.5 g sample amount (in 25 mL solvent), a particle size < 63 μm and a mixture of concentrated HNO₃-HCIO₄-HF (2:1:1, v/v/v). Analytical results for the five metals by ultrasound-assisted leaching, acid bomb and conventional digestion methods showed a good agreement, thus indicating the possibility of using mild conditions for sample preparation instead of intensive treatments inherent with the digestion methods. In addition, this method reduces the time required for all treatments (leaching or digestion, heating to dryness, cooling and separation) with acid bomb digestion method (from ∼ 8 h to ∼ 1.5 h) and conventional acid digestion method (from ∼ 14 h to ∼ 1.5 h). The accuracy of the method was tested either by comparing obtained results with those of acid bomb and conventional digestion methods or by application on a standard reference materials. The average relative standard deviation of ultrasound assisted leaching method varied between 0.7-1.9% for N = 6, depending on the analyte.     

Multi-element determination in raft mussels by fast microwave-assisted acid leaching and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry

Studies on the application of a short microwave irradiation cycle and the use of diluted acids to extract trace elements from raft mussel samples were developed. Multi-element determinations (Al, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Sn, V and Zn) were carried out by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Parameters such as acid/oxidizing reagents (diluted nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide) concentrations, acid/oxidizing solution volume, temperature, ramp time and hold time for the microwave heating were simultaneously studied by using an experimental design approach. The optimum conditions have showed the sample pre-treatment of 10 mussel samples to less than 3.0 min when a microwave power of 600 W and a controlled temperature of 65 °C were used. This time (hold time plus ramp time) is quite shorter than those reported for conventional microwave-assisted acid digestion procedures. Since temperature inside the reactor is not high, the venting time can be shorted to 15 min. In addition, the concentration of acid/oxidizing reagents needed to complete the acid leaching (2.5 M, 3.0 M and 0.5 % (m/v) for nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide, respectively) is lower than the required concentration for a conventional microwave-assisted acid digestion (concentrated acids). The proposed method has showed a good repeatability of the overall method, and relative standard deviations between 11 and 2% were reached for 12 replicate microwave-assisted acid leaching and ICP-OES measurements. The method was finally validated by analyzing TORT-1 and GBW-08571 certified reference materials and it was successfully applied to fast multi-element determinations in several raft mussel samples.     

微波消解法测定饲料骨粉中磷

利用微波加热技术,在密封增压罐内消解饲料试样,优选出酸消解体系、消解时间、酸用量等最佳条件,比色法测磷。该法快速、经济、准确。     

Use of a Focused Microwave System for the Determination of Kjeldahl Nitrogen in Industrial Wastewaters

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the use of a focused microwave method involving chemical digestion in two steps, mineralization and oxidation with H₂O₂, for the determination of Kjeldahl nitrogen in industrial wastewaters. The most influential variables of the process (viz., microwave power, mineralization time, and oxidation time) were optimized by using an experimental design in conjunction with acetanilide as the reference substance. Tests revealed microwave power to have little effect on the extent of digestion in the range studied. The optimum mineralization time and oxidation time were both in the region of 10 min. However, the latter two must be adjusted as a function of the concentration and ease of degradation of the Kjeldahl nitrogen present in each sample. The proposed method was applied to industrial wastewaters of variable origin and found to provide results on a par with those of the standard method for this purpose, with digestion times shorter than this by a factor ranging from 6 to 60 depending on the ease of degradation of the particular sample.     

Electrothermal vaporization system using furnace-fusion technique for the determination of lead in botanical samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

A new approach to sample digestion, subsequent vaporization and introduction into an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer was developed for the direct determination of lead. To each small sample cuvette made of tungsten, a mixture of a ground solid sample and powdered diammonium hydrogenphosphate was precisely weighed. The cuvette was positioned onto the tungsten boat furnace (TBF) incorporating a vaporizer. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide solution was added. Then the cuvette was heated and maintained at a wet-digestion temperature to decompose the solid sample. After digestion, the temperature was elevated to generate the analyte vapor for introduction into a plasma. Since the solid samples were wet-digested in the sample cuvettes before vaporization, they could be analyzed by using a calibration curve prepared from aqueous standard solutions. This method was applied to the determination of lead in several biological materials with satisfactory results.     

Hot-injection procedures for the rapid analysis of biological samples by electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrometry

The combination of palladium/hydrogen matrix-modification and injection of samples into a graphite tube at 120 degrees has allowed the accurate determination of copper, iron, lead and nickel in biological reference materials (urine, milk powder and bovine liver). Palladium modification allowed the use of a standard ashing temperature of 1000 degrees for all four elements. Direct aqueous calibration was applied without the need for standard additions. The total heating cycle, from the start of sample injection, took 45 sec.     

Electrothermal vaporization system using furnace-fusion technique for the determination of lead in botanical samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

A new approach to sample digestion, subsequent vaporization and introduction into an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer was developed for the direct determination of lead. To each small sample cuvette made of tungsten, a mixture of a ground solid sample and powdered diammonium hydrogenphosphate was precisely weighed. The cuvette was positioned onto the tungsten boat furnace (TBF) incorporating a vaporizer. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide solution was added. Then the cuvette was heated and maintained at a wet-digestion temperature to decompose the solid sample. After digestion, the temperature was elevated to generate the analyte vapor for introduction into a plasma. Since the solid samples were wet-digested in the sample cuvettes before vaporization, they could be analyzed by using a calibration curve prepared from aqueous standard solutions. This method was applied to the determination of lead in several biological materials with satisfactory results.     

王水密闭溶矿-电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定锑矿石中的锑

建立了王水密闭溶矿-电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法测定锑矿石中锑的方法。研究了溶矿时间、溶矿温度、溶液的酸度、基体效应对测定的影响。样品的相对误差在1.10%~13.33%,11次独立测定的相对标准偏差均小于2%。经标准物质验证,结果满意。     

Determination of benzothiazole in untreated wastewater using polar-phase stir bar sorptive extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) was applied to extract benzothiazole (BT) from untreated wastewater using a novel polyacrylate (PA)-coated stir bar (PA Twister^®). After extraction, BT was desorbed in a thermal desorption system (TDS) and analysed by GC–MS (gas chromatography–mass spectrometry). The sample contained 30% (w/w) NaCl, the sample temperature was 30 °C and the extraction time was 240 min. Since no filtering or clean-up steps or solvents were necessary SBSE clearly performs better than all previously used extractions techniques for analysing BT in untreated wastewater in terms of easy use, sample throughput and analytical costs. In addition, matrix effects were small. The calibration curve resulting from the standard addition method was linear with a value of the stability index (R²) of 0.999 (n = 3). A good inter-day repeatability of the method was observed with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 9.8% (n = 6). A low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.256 μg L⁻¹ was achieved using only a small sample volume of 18 mL. Small sample volumes significantly reduce sample transport costs. The concentration of BT in untreated wastewater was determined to be 1.04 μg L⁻¹.