Simultaneous Determination of Trace Wear Metals in Used Lubricating Oils by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Using a Silicon-Target Vidicon Detector

A multichannel atomic absorption spectrometer with a silicon-target vidicon detector was used for the simultaneous determination of trace metals in aqueous solution and in used lubricating oils. In most cases sensitivities were similar to those obtained by conventional single channel atomic absorption. Iron, magnesium, copper, and silver were simultaneously determined in lubricating oils, and, although precision was somewhat poorer than that normally attained by atomic absorption, it was adequate for this application. Good correlation was obtained between the vidicon method and a single channel method using a commercial atomic absorption spectrometer.