A Semi-Quantitative Universal Method of Spectrochemical Analysis

Abstract

A semi-quantitative universal method of spectrochemical analysis designed for the determination of all metallic elements in powder samples has been calibrated for twenty elements The method uses lithium carbonate as a common matrix. It is accurate for many concentration ranges to within factors of 1/2 to 3/2 of the amount present Numerous variations of apparatus and conditions were investigated, with the results indicating that the deviations due to these factors were not large compared with the method error. The method may be improved in the future through a systematic investigation of sampling in the arc—the most likely source of error in the present method. Matrix effects, which were previously the greatest source of error, seem to have been largely overcome