Spectrochemical Analysis of Aqueous Solutions by the Plasma Jet

Abstract

The effects of tangential gas flow, arc current, and water irascible solvents on the sensitivity of the plasma jet source, when used with aqueous solutions, have been studied. The optimum conditions for sensitivity have been established and the use of certain mixed aqueous/organic media have been found to improve the limits of detection significantly The effects of hydrochloric, nitric, and sulphuric acid were investigated and found to depend on the nature of the acid but not on the concentration. The matrix effect was found to be less severe than with many methods of excitation. Two examples of the application of the plasma jet to analytical problems are reviewed briefly.