Moderated pressure microwave digestion system for preparation of biological samples

A new type closed digestion vessel was constructed for digestion of biological samples. In this the vapour pressure can be maintained on moderated level (150-300 kPa) by means of an internal cooling spiral. During the operation the reflux of the condensed acid and water vapour continuously renews the liquid phase over the sample. By this way a less expensive microwave system may be applied. The performance of this instrument is practically equal to the commercial systems. The digestion time of plant and tissue samples is 5-10 min and the analytical results for reference materials are in good agreement with the reference values.