Lead of detection in rhododendron leaves using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy assisted by laser-induced...

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy assisted by laser-induced fluorescence (LIBS-LIF) was applied to determine lead (Pb) in rhododendron leaves. Rhododendron leaves are essential types of herbal materials. Rapid detection of lead in rhododendron leaves is urgent for drug monitoring. In this paper, the powder method and solid-liquid-solid transformation (SLST) method were employed as sample preparation. The results showed that the signal of the Pb I 405.78 nm line was substantially enhanced. For samples A, B and C, the LoD values of 0.054 mg/kg, 0.059 mg/kg, 0.062 mg/kg were achieved with R² values of 0.997, 0.996, 0.997 via the SLST approach, whose sensitivity and accuracy was slightly higher compared to the powder method. The RMSECV values of both methods were minimal, ranging from 0.538 to 2.117 mg/kg. Lead content detected by LIBS-LIF in the three samples was between 1.5 and 2.8 mg/kg. The results of lead were validated by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). This research provided us with new technology for the rapid and accurate determination of Pb element in rhododendron leaves.