Determining the detection limit of Strontium, Calcium, and Lead in an aqueous jet using microwave-enhanced plasma-ball optical emission spectrometry

Abstract

The microwave-enhanced plasma-ball optical emission spectrometry (MEPB-OES) used the synergistic effects of spark ignition and microwave-sustained breakdown plasma for elemental spectrochemical analysis, which required no sample preparations. The viability of MEPB-OES for the element analysis of aqueous jet solutions was determined via the identification of Strontium (Sr), Calcium (Ca), and Lead (Pb). Specifically, an aqueous solution that contained Sr, Ca, and Pb was directly introduced into a plasma ball using a hand spray and a nebulizer. The measurement accuracy of the nebulizer was higher than that of the hand spray owing to the generation of finer particles. The limit of detection using the hand spray is in the mg/L range, while the measurement accuracy of the nebulizer is in the µg/L range.

Keywords

• Limits of detection
• Aqueous plasma
• Plasma ball spectrometry
• Microwave plasma
• Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy