ICP OPTICAL-EMISSION SPECTROMETRY AS A DETECTOR FOR ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS AFTER GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATION

The combination of a gas-chromatographic device with high-power nitrogen/argon inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICPOES) is described and tested with Pb and Si containing organic compounds. The direct combination of the GC output with the input tube of the ICP burner system and a heating-up device of the carrier gas make it possible to introduce small gas amounts into the ICP torch. The results of these studies suggest that ICP-OES should be applicable to solve many problems of trace elemental analysis, preconcentration and GC separation of organic metal complexes by using the ICP source as a detector system in connection with the simultaneous OES. The sensitivity of high-power nitrogen/ argon ICP is compared with that of low-power argon ICP. For example the determination of low contents of lead in petrol or fuels is given in detail. The ratio of lead tetraethyl/tetramethyl can be determined, too. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.