The effect of sodium on analyte ionic line intensities in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry: Influence of the operating conditions

The effect of Na on the intensities of ionic lines in ICP-AES has been studied under extreme operating conditions, in particular under robust conditions. The effect was assigned both to a change in the excitation and ionization processes in the plasma and to a change in the aerosol formation and transport. Some ionic lines were very sensitive to the Na effect, particularly lines with an energy sum near 11.5 eV. A selection of lines was suggested for studying the Na effect: Ba II 455 nm, Ba II 233 nm, Mg II 280 nm, Ni IT 231 nm and Zn II 202 nm. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.