Quantitative analysis of copper alloys by laser-produced plasma spectrometry

Laser-produced plasma spectrometry was applied to the determination of low iron, nickel and silver concentrations in copper alloys. A focused Nd: YAG laser beam was used to generate a plasma from copper targets in air at atmospheric pressure. The plasma temperature was obtained by using a Boltzmann plot of neutral iron lines. Calibration curves for iron, nickel and silver were produced. The precision ranged from 2 to 10% of the analyte concentration. The detection limits were 20, 10 and 1 µg g–1 for iron, nickel and silver, respectively.