The Determination of Low Concentrations of Sodium in Cement by Flame Emission Spectrometry without Sample Preparation

The determination of low concentrations of sodium using atomic spectrometric methods is often limited by environmental contamination in the sample preparation step. Wet digestion techniques must be carried out in a clean environment and require that samples be dissolved in plastic containers with the use of high-purity acids. Fusion methods require the use of high-purity flux materials to avoid contamination. Such materials are often difficult to obtain and are expensive. The analytical blank usually defines the lower limit of detection for sodium determinations when either wet digestion or fusion methods are used to prepare the sample. Direct sample introduction methods which require no sample preparation would significantly minimize contamination problems related to dissolution.