Simultaneous determination of metallic elements in precipitates and inclusions extracted from steel by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

A study was made about the possibility of extracting complex precipitates, containing carbides, nitrides, intermetallic compounds, from low-alloy steels, high-alloy steels and heat-resistant super alloys by single electrolysis operation, followed by the simultaneous determination of all metallic elements in the precipitates by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). As a result, it was found that 4–5 metallic elements, such as Nb, Mo and Cr, whose determination had been considered difficult even by wet chemical analysis, can be simultaneously determined in the dissolved state in which Na₂S₂O₇ and tartaric acid (20%) added for the treatment of precipitates are concomitants.ICP-AES simplifies the analytical operation considerably and shortens the analytical time from about 18 h by conventional methods to about 1 h.