Microwave-assisted robotic method for the determination of trace metals in soil

✍ Scribed by P. Torres; E. Ballesteros; M.D.Luque De Castro

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 605 KB
• Volume: 308
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2670
• DOI: 10.1016/0003-2670(94)00474-z

✦ Synopsis

A fully automated method for the determination of metals (Fe, Cu and Zn) in soil based on the use of a robotic station is reported. The time-consuming sample digestion traditionally performed by stirring has been substituted by microwave-assisted digestion by including a focused microwave digester as a module of the robotic station that was controlled by the robot. Thus, the digestion step was shortened from 2 h to 3 min. After digestion, the sample is transported to an atomic absorption spectrometer for measurement either after dilution by the robot or by aspiration to feed a valve-loop in a flow-injection system where dilution is adjusted as required depending on the concentration of the metal concerned. Both dilution methods have proved to yield reproducible results (R.S.D. < 2%).