Determination of gallium in bayer process sodium aluminate solution by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

The determination of gallium in sodium aluminium solutions by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry is reported. The spectral line profiles of three Ga lines are recorded over a short wavelength region in the presence of interfering ions, by varying the observation height from 8 to 20 mm and the RF power from 1.0 to 1.75 kW. Under fixed ICP conditions, matrix interferences are observed. The results indicate a complex matrix effect on gallium in the presence of different concentrations of sodium. The proposed method is applied successfully to the determination of gallium (110–120 μg ml^?) in Bayer process aluminate solution.