On-line electrolytic dissolution of alloys in flow-injection analysis : Part 1. Principles and application in the determination of soluble aluminium in steels

A fast system for steel analysis is described. Immediately after collection, the solidified sample is polished and placed on a small electrochemical dissolution unit. The dissolution step is accomplished in a few seconds, and the dissolved material is passed directly “on line” to a flow-injection manifold. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated by determining soluble aluminium in steels (0.01–0.13% w/w) spectrophotometrically. Dissolution conditions such as current density, electrolysis duration, composition and flow rate of the electrolyte carrier stream are described. The proposed system is very stable and the consumption of reagents is low; 20–40 samples per hour can be handled. The results compare well with the values for reference standard steels.