Study of matrix effects produced by inorganic species in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry with several spray chambers

In the present work, the influence of the spray chamber design on the matrix effects was investigated in Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). The study was carried out in terms of aerosol drop size distribution and emission signal. Solutions of two inorganic acids and salts were employed to characterize the extent of the matrix effects throughout this work. Several spray chambers. a double-pass (Scott - type), a conventional cyclonic, and two low-volume cyclonic - type spray chambers (i.e., Cinnabar, and Genie) were used in order to evaluate the matrix effects produced by nitric and sulphuric acid solutions. A glass concentric pneumatic micro nebulizer (Atom Mist) was used in conjunction with all four chambers. When nitric or sulphuric acid solutions were nebulized, the double pass spray chamber registered noticeable changes in the drop size distribution. The low-volume spray chambers, in turn, afforded changes in the aerosol drop size distributions similar to the conventional cyclonic one. The matrix effects on the signal were reduced with all three cyclonic spray chambers with respect to the double pass one. Concerning the effect of inorganic salts, the results obtained with a High Efficiency Nebulizer (HEN) coupled to a double pass spray chamber and to a cyclonic type one revealed several issues: (i) the matrix effects were more severe at low liquid and gas flow rates; (ii) as for inorganic acids, the use of a cyclonic spray chamber led to a mitigation of the matrix effects with respect to a double pass spray chamber. (author)