Direct detection of optical radiation through a sampling orifice for inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6207971

LaFreniere, B R

The direct optical viewing of an argon inductively coupled plasma (ICP) through a sampling orifice inserted directly into the plasma has been accomplished. A copper cone with a sampling orifice is attached to the entrance slit chamber of a monochromator and inserted directly into an ICP to obtain optical spectra in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV). With solar-blind photomultiplier tube (PMT) detection, detection limits are 50 ng mL/sup -1/ for the resonance lines of Br and Cl during injection into the plasma of aerosols of aqueous solutions generated by pneumatic nebulization. With ultrasonic nebulization, the detection limits improve to 8 ng mL/sup -1/ for Br and 15 ng mL/sup -1/ for Cl. Detection limits for Br and Cl in the form of an aqueous sample were superior to the best reported values in the Ar and He ICP, and in the microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MIP-AES) literature. Another significant breakthrough in the present work includes the determination of nonmetals in gases by their direct injection into the ICP by a device called a direct injection probe (DIP). This low dead volume interface (<40 ..mu..L) is used for the introduction of gaseous samples directly into the axial channel of the ICP. Injection of a gaseous mixture of compounds containing the elements Br, Cl, S, and C results in detection limits of 0.1, 0.3, 0.05, and 1 ng, respectively. These detection limits are by far the best obtained for these elements in a gaseous form by ICP-AES. The extension of ICP-AES analysis to the determination of nonmetals, metalloids, and/or selected metals in aqueous and gaseous samples illustrates the value of this optical sampling approach in the VUV. 174 refs., 50 figs.

• Research Organization: Ames Lab., IA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-82
• OSTI ID: 6207971
• Report Number(s): IS-T-1310; ON: DE87013609
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640302* -- Atomic
Molecular &amp; Chemical Physics-- Atomic &amp; Molecular Properties &amp; Theory
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990220 -- Computers
Computerized Models
&amp; Computer Programs-- (1987-1989)
A CODES
ABSORPTION
ARGON
BASIC
COMPUTER CODES
CURRENT-DRIVE HEATING
DATA
DATA ACQUISITION
DETECTION
ELECTRIC HEATING
ELEMENTS
EMISSION SPECTRA
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
F CODES
FLUIDS
FLUORINE
GASES
HALOGENS
HEATING
HYDROGEN
INFORMATION
JOULE HEATING
MASS SPECTROMETERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROWAVE HEATING
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OPENINGS
OPTICAL SYSTEMS
ORIFICES
PHOTODETECTORS
PLASMA
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA HEATING
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
RADIATION DETECTION
RARE GASES
RESISTANCE HEATING
RESONANCE
SELF-ABSORPTION
SPECTRA
SPECTROMETERS
SPECTROSCOPY