Anal Bioanal Chem. 1996 Apr;355(1):16-20. doi: 10.1007/s0021663550016.

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) as an analytical tool for the detection of metal ions in aqueous solutions.

Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry

R Knopp, F J Scherbaum, J I Kim

PMID: 15045451 DOI: 10.1007/s0021663550016

Abstract

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is applied to analyze aqueous solutions of Li(+), Na(+), Ca(2+), Ba(2+), Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Hg(2+) and Er(3+) and suspensions of ErBa(2)Cu(3)O(x) particles (d=0.2 microm). An excimer (308 nm) pumped dye laser with laser pulse at 500 nm and pulse energy at 22+/-2 mJ is used to produce plasma in aqueous solution. Plasma emission lines of the elements are detected by a photodiode array detector. Detection limits of the metal ions are 500 mg/l for Cd(2+), 12.5 mg/l for Pb(2+), 6.8 mg/l for Ba(2+), 0.13 mg/l for Ca(2+), 13 microg/l for Li(+) and 7.5 microg/l for Na(+). No mercury and erbium emission can be detected, even at Hg(2+) and Er(3+) concentrations of up to the g/l range. On the other side, for Er in suspensions of ErBa(2)Cu(3)O(x) particles a more than 10(3) times higher sensitivity is found than for dissolved Er(3+). This result gives a possibility to analyze colloid-borne metal ions with an increased sensitivity.

References

1. Appl Opt. 1988 Jun 15;27(12):2386-91 - PubMed
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