Quantitative analysis of glass using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission and mass spectrometry, laser micro-analysis inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The traditional wet-chemical analysis of glasses is time consuming because of the laborious sample preparation, sequential determinations, repetitive measurements and manual work in general. Alternative methods are inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) without and with laser ablation. Inductively coupled plasma AES and ICP-MS are suitable for dissolvable glasses and both are rapid and precise methods. Laser micro-analysis ICP-AES and laser ablation ICP-MS offer direct solid sampling, rapid, quantitative multi-element analysis and ease of application from set-up to final report. Analytical results for three fluorophosphate glasses obtained by five methods are compared.