Microwave-assisted double insert vapour-phase digestion of organic samples

A microwave-assisted double insert multimode vapour-phase digestion method was developed for the digestion of organic samples. The experimental set-up was based on a third generation-type teflon microwave vessel, equipped with an automatic pressure regulating type vessel cover. A borosilicate glass holder insert, containing a smaller quartz sample insert, was fitted inside the vessel. Sulphuric acid was added to the holder insert as a microwave absorbing and temperature transferring liquid, which transferred heat to the sample insert (into which the sample was weighed) and charred the sample material. Oxidation of the sample material was carried out simultaneously with charring using nitric acid vapour, which was generated by the 1:1 (v/v) sulphuric acid-nitric acid mixture located in the bottom of the microwave vessel. This set-up generated high digestion efficiency, without any of the interferences normally associated with direct sulphuric acid usage. The method was used for determining the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Zn and Fe in certified organic reference materials using ICP-OES instrumentation. The certified organic reference materials were NRCC DOLT-2 dogfish liver, NIST-SRM 1577b bovine liver and IRMM VDA cadmium in polyethylene No. 001 and No. 004. The results were in good agreement with the certified values, forepart from Cd. For Cd the results were lower than the certified values due to volatilization losses. Sample materials that could not be digested by an earlier procedure were completely digested during a single-step, 30 min digestion. The tested sample materials included certified reference materials, 3-nitrobenzoic acid (3-NBA) and pike (Esox lucius) muscle. The residual carbon concentrations in the digestion solutions were below the detection limit of the TOC instrument. This type of digestion method is described here for the first time in the literature.     

Microwave heated vapor-phase digestion method for biological sample materials

A microwave heated, vapor-phase nitric acid-hydrogen peroxide digestion method for pulverized, biological sample materials was developed. Sample masses up to 200 mg were digested using calibrated quartz inserts inside first generation type, low-pressure, Teflon-PFA microwave vessels. In the first step, samples were digested in the vapor-phase for 80 min using a progressive heating pattern. Three mL of 70% nitric acid and 0.5 mL of 30% hydrogen peroxide were used as digestion reagents. In the second step, the small residue left after first step digestion was dissolved in 1.4% nitric acid or additionally with 0.5% hydrofluoric acid by heating for 15 min. The digestion method was optimized using pike (Esox lucius) muscle as a test material. The method was further optimized using three certified reference materials. Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg and ¶Zn were determined from NIST-SRM 1577a bovine liver by ICP-AES. Cr and Ni were determined from NIST-SRM 8433 corn bran and NRCC DOLT-2 dogfish liver by GFAAS. For all elements the values obtained were close or within certified limits. Spike recoveries were between 96 to 107%. Digestion efficiency ranged from 91 to 99%.     

Microwave heated vapor-phase digestion method for biological sample materials

A microwave heated, vapor-phase nitric acid-hydrogen peroxide digestion method for pulverized, biological sample materials was developed. Sample masses up to 200 mg were digested using calibrated quartz inserts inside first generation type, low-pressure, Teflon-PFA microwave vessels. In the first step, samples were digested in the vapor-phase for 80 min using a progressive heating pattern. Three mL of 70% nitric acid and 0.5 mL of 30% hydrogen peroxide were used as digestion reagents. In the second step, the small residue left after first step digestion was dissolved in 1.4% nitric acid or additionally with 0.5% hydrofluoric acid by heating for 15 min. The digestion method was optimized using pike (Esox lucius) muscle as a test material. The method was further optimized using three certified reference materials. Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg and Zn were determined from NIST-SRM 1577a bovine liver by ICP-AES. Cr and Ni were determined from NIST-SRM 8433 corn bran and NRCC DOLT-2 dogfish liver by GFAAS. For all elements the values obtained were close or within certified limits. Spike recoveries were between 96 to 107%. Digestion efficiency ranged from 91 to 99%.     

Investigation of microwave assisted drying of samples and evaporation of aqueous solutions in trace element analysis

Investigations of microwave assisted drying of sample materials and microwave assisted evaporation of aqueous sample solutions and acidic digestion residues were accomplished by means of special rotors for the microwave digestion system MULTIWAVE. To check the results obtained by microwave assisted drying, the samples were also conventionally dried at 105 degrees C in an oven. The following samples have been dried: 10 g each of meat, fish, apple, cucumber, potato, mustard, yogurt, clay and marl; 1 g each of certified reference material TORT 2 (lobster hepatopancreas), BCR 278 (mussel tissue) and BCR 422 (cod muscle); 500 g garden mould. Microwave assisted drying takes 40 min for organic samples and 30 min for inorganic material. Important is a slow increase of microwave power during the first 20 min. The results agree well with conventional drying at 105 degrees C. Losses of As, Se and Hg have been investigated for 3 CRMs. Only Se shows losses in the range of 20%. Losses of As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, Tl, V and Zn after evaporation of aqueous samples and acidic solutions after wet digestion, respectively, have been investigated. 50 mL aqueous solution was evaporated almost to dryness within 25 min. The recovery of Hg is 40-50%, of Se 90-95% and of the other elements 97-102%. 0.2 g each of TORT 2, BCR 278 and BCR 422 have been digested with 4 mL nitric acid and 1 mL hydrochloric acid by means of the microwave digestion system MULTIWAVE. The digestion residue was evaporated almost to dryness and dissolved again in 10 mL diluted nitric acid. In this case no element losses have been observed. The measured concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Hg, Pb, Mo, Ni, Se, Sr, V and Zn agree very well with the certified values. An important prerequisite for good recoveries is not to evaporate the solutions to complete dryness.     

Determination of iron,cobalt, nickel,manganese, zinc,copper, cadmium and lead in human hair by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

A method was standardized for the dissolution of hair samples and analysis was carried out by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Hair samples were brought into solution by using a mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Various parameters that influence the sample preparation, namely temperature, digestion time and ratio of acid mixture were studied and standardized. The optimized method has been employed to digest standard reference materials and hair samples of residents of India, collected from different age groups and sex, and analyzed for Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb. The values agree for most of the metals with the data reported for human hair samples of residents of India. The NIES CRM Human Hair No. 5 and IAEA Reference Hair HH-1 certified reference materials were used in order to verify the accuracy of the method and the results were in excellent agreement with the certified values.     

Analysis of standard reference materials after microwave-oven digestion in open vessels using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry and Zeeman-effect background correction

Summary Heating-covered teflon digestion vials located inside a reheatable container in the presence of different acid mixtures with microwave oven dissolve the metals from biological and environmental certified reference materials. Pb, Cd, Cu, Mn and Fe from the dissolved samples are determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry and Zeeman-effect background correction. The method allows the treatment of about 100 samples per operation.     

Investigation of microwave assisted drying of samples and evaporation of aqueous solutions in trace element analysis

Investigations of microwave assisted drying of sample materials and microwave assisted evaporation of aqueous sample solutions and acidic digestion residues were accomplished by means of special rotors for the microwave digestion system MULTIWAVE. To check the results obtained by microwave assisted drying, the samples were also conventionally dried at 105?°C in an oven. The following samples have been dried: 10 g each of meat, fish, apple, cucumber, potato, mustard, yogurt, clay and marl; 1 g each of certified reference material TORT 2 (lobster hepatopancreas), BCR 278 (mussel tissue) and BCR 422 (cod muscle); 500 g garden mould. Microwave assisted drying takes 40 min for organic samples and ¶30 min for inorganic material. Important is a slow increase of microwave power during the first 20 min. The results agree well with conventional drying at 105?°C. Losses of As, Se and Hg have been investigated for ¶3 CRMs. Only Se shows losses in the range of 20%. Losses of As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, Tl, V and Zn after evaporation of aqueous samples and acidic solutions after wet digestion, respectively, have been investigated. 50 mL aqueous solution was evaporated almost to dryness within 25 min. The recovery of Hg is 40–50%, of Se 90–95% and of the other elements 97–102%. 0.2 g each of TORT 2, BCR 278 and BCR 422 have been digested with 4 mL nitric acid and 1 mL hydrochloric acid by means of the microwave digestion system MULTIWAVE. The digestion residue was evaporated almost to dryness and dissolved again in 10 mL diluted nitric acid. In this case no element losses have been observed. The measured concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Hg, Pb, Mo, Ni, Se, Sr, V and Zn agree very well with the certified values. An important prerequisite for good recoveries is not to evaporate the solutions to complete dryness.     

Determination of metal concentrations in lichen samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy technique after applying different digestion procedures

Three digestion procedures have been tested on lichen samples for application in the determination of major, minor and trace elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in lichen samples collected in Aegean Region of Turkey by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES). The acid mixture of concentrated HNO₃, H₂O₂ and HF were used. The instrument was optimized using lichen matrix considering RF power, nebulizer pressure, auxiliary flow rate and pump rate. The accuracy of the overall analyses was first estimated by analysis of two certified reference materials. Good agreement between measured and reference values were found for almost all elements. As the second way of determining the accuracy, results obtained from independent analytical techniques (ICP-AES and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA)) were compared for all elements by analyzing real samples. Correlation coefficients of two techniques for the elements ranged between 0.70 (Mg) and 0.96 (Fe). Among the three digestion systems, namely microwave, open vessel and acid bomb, microwave digestion system gave the best recovery results. The method detection limit (MDL) was computed using reagent blanks of microwave digestion system since it provides cleaner sample preparation. Detection limit is adequate for all elements to determine the elements in lichen samples. The precision was assessed from the replicate analyses of reagent blanks of microwave digestion system and was found to be less than 1.5% relative standard deviation (R.S.D.).     

Determination of copper, lead, cadmium, zinc, and iron in calcium fluoride and other fluoride-containing samples by means of direct solid sampling GF-AAS

Direct solid sampling graphite furnace AAS (SS-GF-AAS) provides an advantageous alternative to the conventional AAS which requires wet digestion of the samples. This method is suitable for trace element determination in calcium fluoride and other fluoride-containing samples. Matrix effects were studied by using calibration standards, certified reference materials with different matrices and by means of three-dimensional calibration. 3D calibration is suitable for selection of calibration samples for more reliable analyses. Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, and Fe were determined by means of calibration with variation of sample weight using certified reference materials and suitable fluoride-containing calibration samples. Received: 25 July 1997 / Revised: 15 December 1997 / Accepted: 20 December 1997     

Determination of copper, lead, cadmium, zinc, and iron in calcium fluoride and other fluoride-containing samples by means of direct solid sampling GF-AAS

Direct solid sampling graphite furnace AAS (SS-GF-AAS) provides an advantageous alternative to the conventional AAS which requires wet digestion of the samples. This method is suitable for trace element determination in calcium fluoride and other fluoride-containing samples. Matrix effects were studied by using calibration standards, certified reference materials with different matrices and by means of three-dimensional calibration. 3D calibration is suitable for selection of calibration samples for more reliable analyses. Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, and Fe were determined by means of calibration with variation of sample weight using certified reference materials and suitable fluoride-containing calibration samples. Received: 25 July 1997 / Revised: 15 December 1997 / Accepted: 20 December 1997     

Multi-element analysis by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry of airborne particulate matter collected with a low-pressure cascade impactor

A method was developed for the elemental analysis of size segregated particles ranging from 0.03 to 10 microns. Sampling and analysis problems are discussed in this paper. Particles were collected with a Dekati low-pressure cascade impactor. PTFE filters coated with oleic acid were used as substrate. Particles were microwave digested in closed vessels. The optimum digestion mixture was composed of HNO3 (1 mL), HF (50 microL) and H2O (1 mL). The optimal power setting and digestion time were studied in order to achieve an efficient digestion. A ca. 35 min microwave digestion cycle at a 650 W maximum power allowed complete digestion of the samples. Special emphasis was placed on the pressure in the closed vessels to avoid sample losses. Solution samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry using an ultrasonic nebuliser for 18 elements (Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, S, Sr, Ti, V, Zn). This procedure was tested with NIST Standard Reference Material 1648 Urban Particulate. Recoveries for certified elements ranged from 95 to 105% except for Al (90%). The influence of cascade impactor materials was investigated with 44 field samples. Strong artefacts due to contamination were shown for analysis at environmental concentrations of Al, Cr, Mn and Ni.     

Determination of trace elements in Antarctic krill samples by inductively coupled atomic emission and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Analytical methods were developed for the determination of trace elements in Antarctic krill samples applying inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS). Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn were determined by ICP-AES, while Cd and Pb by GF-AAS technique. Two microwave assisted digestion procedures were elaborated for the preparation of 0.5-g krill samples using open and closed vessel systems. The efficiency of the digestion processes was checked by measurements of the total organic carbon content of the solutions obtained. The deviations of the analytical data from the certified values and the relative standard deviations of the concentration measurements were lower for all six elements investigated applying the closed vessel digestion system.     

Determination of trace elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry of biomass and fuel oil reference materials using milligram sample sizes

Most of the analytical techniques used to quantify elements associated with solid samples suffer from high detection limits and cannot be used for trace elements in biomass samples, particularly when only 20 mg are available for analysis. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can achieve detection limits of parts-per-trillion with liquid sample introduction by solution nebulisation. This technique was therefore tested with two standard biomass reference materials: oriental tobacco leaves and cabbage leaves. Two preparations successfully used on coal standards were used to digest the solid samples: a total digestion method (wet ashing digestion) and a partial leaching (microwave extraction). The concentrations of up to seventeen elements (As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ga, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, V and Zn) were measured after the two preparations. The accuracy and sensitivity of the measurements improved when the dilution factor decreased from 5000 to 1000 and to 500. Since the proportion of mineral matter in biomass samples is small (5%), the microwave digestion extracted elements that are generally not completely extracted from coal samples (e.g. Sb). However, some trace element concentrations were below the limit of quantification after microwave extraction, even with a reduced dilution factor (As, Se and Mo) and could not be quantified. A fuel oil was also digested. The trace element concentrations were very low (between 28 and 0.1 microgram g(-1)) but acceptable results were obtained by applying a dilution factor of 100. Only six elements in the fuel oil (As, Ba, Co, Ni, Se and V) had certified or indicated values. Factors affecting the accuracy and sensitivity of the analyses are discussed. The reproducibility of analysis of the tobacco leaf standard was checked over a period of nine months by both digestion methods. The wet ashing method gave acceptable reproducibility for Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Ga, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn but poor precision for Cr, Se and Sn and showed evidence of residual chloride interference for As. The microwave extraction gave good reproducibility for As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni and Zn but poor precision for Se and low recoveries for Ga, Mn, Sn and V. In spite of the small quantities of material analysed, it proved possible to determine the trace elements at levels down to 0.1 microgram g(-1) in the reference materials.     

Evaluation of digestion procedures for the determination of iron and zinc in biscuits by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

An evaluation is made of different digestion methods for the determination of iron and zinc in biscuits prior to flame atomic absorption analysis. For the initial studies, microwave digestion was enough (using hydrogen chloride and nitric acid 3:1, v/v, at 180 °C and 600 W) to provide comparable accuracy, precision, digestion time and non-critical handling of reagents to dry-ashing and wet digestion (using different acid mixtures) and also to a simple acid treatment at room temperature. Although, after a simple microwave digestion, the spiked recoveries were found around 96–102%, to reduce the digestion time and for simplicity we worked on wet acid treatments. The results showed that acid-only treatment is not enough to digest the samples without adding ethanol, which was found necessary to digest organic residue at room temperature. The method was validated by comparison of the data found for commercial biscuit samples through using the proposed procedure and the AOAC official reference spectrophotometric method. Fe concentration in the different biscuits (such as petit beurre, baby biscuits, etc.) ranged from 1.21 to 15.96 mg/100 g while Zn concentration ranged from 0.58 to 2.50 mg/100 g depending on biscuit type. The highest concentration of Fe was in baby biscuits and these biscuits were about thirteen times richer in Fe than petit beurre biscuits.     

Comparison of digestion methods for ICP-MS determination of trace elements in fish tissues

A comparison is presented of six methods involving nitric acid in conjunction with other reagents to digest three certified marine biological samples (DOLT-3, DORM-3, IAEA-407) and a fish bone homogenate (prepared from Merluccius australis). An inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer with an octopole collision cell was used to determine up to 40 elements (Li, B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Y, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Pb, Th, U) in the digests. These results were assessed in terms of their accuracy and precision, and a flow chart was developed to aid the selection of the optimal digestion method. Although none of the methods was found to give accurate determinations for all elements in the different reference materials, a relatively simple method involving nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide heated in a domestic microwave oven gave the most acceptable results.     

Microwave digestion of sediment, soils and urban particulate matter for trace metal analysis

A microwave digestion technique was developed to determine the content of nine heavy metals in sediments and soils. The digests were subsequently analysed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The metals determined were Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb and V. The digestion was achieved by using an acid mixture of HNO₃, HF and distilled H₂O. The experimental study was conducted using four standard reference materials (SRMs): sewage sludge (LGC6136), marine sediment (PACS-1), urban particulate matter (NIST 1648) and coal carbonisation site soil (LGC6138). Two different programs were examined to determine which was optimal for the digestion of real environmental samples. The accuracy and precision of the two digestion programs for the analysis of the SRMs were compared. From the results obtained, the microwave program providing a maximum of power of 650 W and a cycle time of 51 min resulted in the best analytical performance. The experimental results obtained were in good agreement with the certified values and demonstrated that the proposed method is precise and accurate.     

Cadmium Determination in Human Whole Blood by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry with Magnesium Chloride and Sodium Hydroxide as a Combined Chemical Modifier

In this work, we propose a method to determine trace amounts of Cd in human whole blood samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) with the combined chemical modifier including magnesium chloride and sodium hydroxide. Prior to the ETAAS analysis, dissolution of the blood samples is accomplished using a HNO₃-HClO₄double closed-vessel microwave digestion technique followed by drying of the dissolved blood samples by means of an infrared lamp. In using this approach, a MgCl₂ chemical modifier is added to the digested samples, then they are injected into the graphite furnace for detecting the Cd level via atomic absorption spectrometer. Besides we used a NaOH chemical modifier, which removed the matrix major elements through prior ashing at 1200 ° C for 30 s, and the Cd is subsequently volatilized at 2200 °C and determined by AAS. However, the proposed method can be employed to determine the of Cd level in whole blood samples by the calibration technique and the standard-additions method. Its validity is confirmed with two certified reference whole blood materials (Seronorm Trace Elements Whole Blood Batch no. 205052 and Batch no. 203056). By using 10 μL injections, a detection limit of 0.052 ng mL^?1 is achieved.     

测定土壤中重金属元素时前处理方法的改进

建立了一种微波消解前处理技术的半消解法消解样品,采用原子吸收光谱法和原子荧光光谱法同时测定土壤中主要重金属元素铜、锌、镉、砷、汞的方法,检测土壤标准物质GSS-3、GSS-5、GSS-20,结果显示测定均值在标准差允许范围内,相对标准偏差小于8.5%(n=4),是土壤重金属元素快速检测的可选方法。     

Possibilities and limitations of the total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for the determination of low Z elements in biological samples

The analytical capability of the laboratory scale vacuum total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometer (Wobistrax) was studied for the determination of the Z elements (Na, Mg, P, S, K and Ca) in different biological matrices represented by the following certified reference materials: MURST-ISS-A2 Antarctic krill, IAEA-331 spinach, NIST 1577a bovine liver, and SERONORM™ Trace Elements Serum Level 1.First, the stability of the response factors (relative sensitivity) against Ti internal standard was checked in the concentration range of 1 to 1000 mg/L in a diluted nitric acid matrix. It has been found that the upper limit of the analytical concentration range for K and Ca can be as high as 1000 mg/L; on the other hand, the remaining elements cannot be determined above a concentration of some tens mg/L.The established response factors were used for the elemental analysis of the four certified reference materials after normal-volume microwave assisted acid digestion. In the case of the serum sample, different preparation methods were compared as follow: direct analysis, microwave assisted acid digestion in normal-volume and micro-vessels, as well as the vapor-phase digestion directly on the TXRF carrier plates.On the basis of the results, the normal-volume digestion results in rather high dilution of the samples; thus, elements at low concentration could not be detected in some of the samples. On the other hand, this method offers the highest rate of both organic matrix decomposition and inorganic matrix dilution; thus, the background and the standard deviation of the results were the lowest. In general, this method was found to be useful for the analysis of samples with high dissolved (organic + inorganic) content if the analytes are present at a concentration considerable above the quantification limit.In the case of the microscale and the vapor-phase digestion, both the organic and inorganic matters remain at elevated concentration; thus, higher background and self-absorption of the fluorescent radiation occurred, deteriorating the analytical performance.     

Microwave assisted extraction for trace element analysis of plant materials by ICP-AES

Application of microwave assisted extraction for the decomposition and dissolution of plant samples for trace metal determination by ICP-AES was examined. Dried onion, leaves of spinach beet and three reference materials CTA-OTL-1, CTA-VTL-2 and CL-1 were analyzed. Water, EDTA and hydrochloric acid (0.01, 0.10 and 1.0 M, respectively) were used as leaching solutions. The extraction efficiency was investigated by comparison of the results with those obtained after microwave wet digestion. HCl was found to be very suitable for quantitative extraction of B, Ba, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn from the samples. For reference materials, the measured concentrations are well consistent with the certified values. The use of EDTA led to a complete extraction of B, Cd, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn. Water was found to be a good leaching solution for boron. For extraction with HCl and EDTA, the RSD values for the concentrations measured were below 8% for most of the elements. Received: 4 May 2000 / Revised: 20 June 2000 / Accepted: 22 June 2000