Abstract

Aqueous acid mixtures at room temperature are used to partially dissolve steel samples. The dissolved elements are washed off the surface, diluted, and then determined by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) using a magnetic sector mass analyzer. The amount of material removed is measured from the amount of Fe dissolved and increases linearly with HNO₃ concentration in the etch acid. Analyte concentrations in the solid are determined from the signal ratio of analyte ion/Fe⁺. The shape of a plot of mass of element removed vs. nitric acid concentration yields information about the efficiency of the removal process and the likely chemical form of the element in the sample. For elements like Mn, Al, and W in steel, these plots have the same linear shape as that for the major element (Fe), and the measured concentrations agree well with the certified values. For problem elements like Nb and Ta, the plots have two linear regions with different slopes, and measured concentrations are lower than the certified values. Laser ablation ICP-MS and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements show these elements to be associated together in the solid in refractory grains that are not dissolved to the same extent as the Fe matrix. For steel, the amount of Fe dissolved corresponds to an average depth of at least 4 μm, or 20 000 atomic layers.

Multielemental analysis of prehistoric animal teeth by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Michaela Galiová, Jozef Kaiser, Francisco J. Fortes, Karel Novotný, Radomír Malina, Lubomír Prokeš, Aleš Hrdlička, Tomáš Vaculovič, Miriam Nývltová Fišáková, Jiří Svoboda, Viktor Kanický, and Javier J. Laserna
Appl. Opt. 49(13) C191-C199 (2010)

Rapid trace element analysis of microgram soft materials with cryogenic milling and laser ablation spectroscopy

Yuanchao Liu, Yi-Kong Hsieh, Conrad Wong, Irfan Ahmed, Rafay Ahmed, Muhammad Shehzad Khan, Richard Y. H. Cheung, Chu-Fang Wang, and Condon Lau
Appl. Opt. 59(26) 7752-7759 (2020)

Effect of ablation behavior on the matrix effect in nanosecond laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Xiaocheng Zhang, Jiuling Meng, and Tao Lü
Appl. Opt. 59(31) 9836-9843 (2020)

Quantitative analysis of Fuller’s earth using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectroscopy

I. Rehan, M. Z. Khan, K. Rehan, S. Sultana, M. U. Rehman, R. Muhammad, M. Ikram, and H. Anwar
Appl. Opt. 58(16) 4227-4233 (2019)

Detection of micro-toxic elements in commercial coffee brands using optimized dual-pulsed laser-induced spectral analysis spectrometry

Ahmed Asaad I. Khalil and Osama A. Labib
Appl. Opt. 57(23) 6729-6741 (2018)