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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Preparation of Food Samples Using Homogenization and Microwave-Assisted Wet Acid Digestion for Multi-Element Determination with ICP-MS
Published on: December 22, 2023
Single-step microwave digestion with HNO(3) alone for determination of trace elements in coal by ICP spectrometry
Jie Wang1, Tetsuya Nakazato, Kinya Sakanishi
1Energy Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569, Japan.
Abstract:
A microwave digestion method with HNO(3) alone was conducted at a temperature as high as 250 degrees C for determination of 19 trace elements (Li, Be, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, Cs, Ba, Hg, and Pb) in coal jointly by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and flow injection ICP-MS (FI-ICP-MS). The validity of determination was assessed by using three standard coals, SRM 1632c, BCR 180, and SARM 19. It was found that the high-temperature digestion led to an extensive decomposition of the organic matrix and clay in coal, and no dissolved and solid carbon remained in the final solution after evaporation. Good recoveries were observed for all trace elements in three coals, with the exception of V, Rb, and Cs in high-ash SARM 19. Additionally, FI-ICP-MS combined with the present digestion without evaporation pretreatment was proved to be a rapid and efficient approach for determination of ultra-trace elements such as Se, Cd, and Hg in coal.
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