Metal content in mosses from the Metropolitan Area of the Toluca Valley: a comparative study between inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF)

The comparison between inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) for simultaneous determination of metal content (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) in mosses from the Metropolitan Area of the Toluca Valley was performed. Epiphytic mosses (Fabriona ciliaris and Leskea angustata) were collected in two sampling campaigns and were digested with HNO3, HCl and HF for ICP-OES method and HNO3 and HCl for TXRF method. The certified reference material (IAEA-336, Lichen) and the Standard Reference Material (SRM-1573, tomato leaves) were used for the quality control and to evaluate trueness and precision. Linearity, detection and quantification limits were also determined. Results show an ICP-OES and TXRF trueness mean of 101 ± 5% and 97 ± 9%, respectively; the relative standard deviation (RSD percent) was less than 17% in both methods. The moss samples exhibit a satisfactory precision (RSD ≤ 20%), because the RSD percent for ICP-OES, from ...