Quantification of uncertainty in mercury wastewater analysis at different concentration levels and using information from proficiency test with a limited number of participants

Liquid Cathode Glow Discharge as an Excitation Source for the Analysis of Complex Water Samples with Atomic Emission Spectrometry

A liquid cathode glow discharge (LCGD) was developed as a low-power and miniaturized excitation source of atomic emission spectrometry (AES) for the determination of K, Na, Ca, and Mg in water samples from rivers and lakes. The discharge stability and parameter influencing the analytical performance of LCGD-AES were systematically examined. Moreover, the measurement results of water samples using LCGD-AES were verified by ion chromatography (IC). The results showed that the optimized operating parameters are a 660 V discharge voltage, pH = 1.0 HNO3 as the supporting electrolyte, and a 4.0 mL min-1 solution flow rate. High concentrations of some metals may interfere with the detection of Ca and Mg. Low-molecular-weight organic substances do not have a remarkable enhancement on signal intensity. With the addition of 0.5% cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), the emission intensity of elements can enhance significantly. However, it is not used to further evaluate the analytical performance due to instability of plasma after adding CTAC. The maximum power of LCGD is 52 W. The limits of detection and precision (RSD, in 1 mg L-1) of K, Na, Ca, and Mg are 0.20, 0.02, 0.01, and 0.01 mg L-1 and 0.9, 1.5, 0.6, and 1.2%, respectively. The measurement results of K, Na, Ca, and Mg in water samples by LCGD-AES are basically in agreement with the reference values measured by IC. The recovery of samples ranged from 84 to 113% except for Na, suggesting that the measurement results have high accuracy and reliability. All the results indicated that the LCGD-AES can provide an alternative analytical method for in situ, real-time, on-line determination of K, Na, Ca, and Mg in water samples from rivers and lakes.

High-Sensitivity Determination of K, Ca, Na, and Mg in Salt Mines Samples by Atomic Emission Spectrometry with a Miniaturized Liquid Cathode Glow Discharge

An atomic emission spectrometer (AES) based on a novel atmospheric pressure liquid cathode glow discharge (LCGD) as one of the most promising miniaturized excitation sources has been developed, in which the glow discharge is produced between a needle-like Pt anode and the electrolyte (as cathode) overflowing from a quartz capillary. Lower energy consumption (<50 W) and higher excitation efficiency can be realized by point discharge of the needle-like Pt. The miniaturized LCGD seems particularly well suited to rapid and high-sensitivity determination of K, Ca, Na, and Mg in salt mines samples. The optimized analytical conditions of LCGD-AES were pH = 1 with HNO₃ as electrolyte, 650 V discharge voltage, and 3 mL min^-1 solution flow rate. The limits of detections (LODs) of K, Ca, Na, and Mg were 0.390, 0.054, 0.048, and 0.032 mg L^-1, respectively. Measurement results of the LCGD-AES are in good agreement with the comparison value obtained by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and ion chromatography (IC). All results suggested that the developed portable analytical instrument can be used for on-site and real-time monitoring of metal elements in field with further improvement.