Simultaneous Determination of Major and Minor Elements in Carbonates by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry with Multi-direction Viewing Mode

A method for the determination of major and minor elements，including SiO2，CaO, MgO, Al2O3, Fe2O3, K2O, Na2O, MnO， TiO2, P2O5 and SO3，in carbonate samples by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICPAES) with multi-direction viewing mode was reported. The samples were fused with lithium metaborate and the sample beads were then leached with dilute HCl solution. The detection limits and the analytical precision for the target elements were remarkably improved by carefully choosing the measurement spectral lines and using multidirection viewing mode for observation. The recoveries for the elements ranged from 94.7% to 104.6% with the precision of less than 3.0%RSD (n=10). The method has been applied to the determination of these elements in National Standard Reference Materials and the results are in agreement with the certified values.