Minimization of the effect of silicon chemical form in xylene matrices on ICP-AES performance

Abstract

It has been shown previously that the influence of the silicon chemical form could be minimized in ICP-AES by using high efficiency sample introduction systems. In this work, the effects of two of the most different silicon chemical forms have been minimized in ICP-AES by using near total sample consumption systems. The two tested devices have been a single pass spray chamber equipped with wall heating (heated torch integrated sample introduction system, h-TISIS) and a demountable direct injection high efficiency nebulizer (d-DIHEN). A room temperature TISIS and a cyclonic spray chamber have been taken as the reference systems. Solutions containing silicon as six different compounds in xylene have been prepared and analyzed through ICP-AES. It has been observed that, at low liquid flow rates, the h-TISIS improves the sensitivity and the limits of detection as compared to the d-DIHEN. In contrast, shorter wash-out times are obtained for the d-DIHEN. As regards to the effect of the silicon chemical form, h-TISIS and d-DIHEN have minimized it with respect to a conventional cyclonic spray chamber.