Alternating-Current-Driven Microplasma for Multielement Excitation and Determination by Optical-Emission Spectrometry

Microplasma optical-emission spectrometry (OES) is a promising technique for developing portable analytical instrumentations for real-time and on-site measurement of trace elemental species. However, its analytical performance is far from satisfactory for multielement analysis. Herein, a miniature OES system is developed for simultaneous multielement analysis with alternating-current-driven microplasma generated on the nozzle of a pneumatic micronebulizer as the excitation source. Because of the strong excitation capability of the microplasma and its sufficient contact with solution, a series of elements, including Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn, is directly excited in the spray with solution nebulization at a flow rate of 8 μL s–1. The characteristic optical emissions are measured by a charge-coupled-device (CCD) spectrometer. In addition, hydride generation is compatible with the present system, which makes it feasible for the simultaneous excitation of hydrides of As, Ge, Hg,...