Temperature controlled microwave oven digestion system

Abstract

Microwave oven digestion of samples for elemental analysis is becoming a widely used laboratory technique. The employment of sealed pressurized vessels has reduced the time required to place samples into solution. However, the incomplete dissolution of hard to digest materials remains a problem. In our laboratories, the digestion of biological specimens such as leaves and insect matter, result in a white precipitate after dilution. A similar digestion on a hotplate produces a clear solution.