Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026

Assessing the Particulate Matter Removal Abilities of Tree Leaves
Published on: October 7, 2018
Assessment of Homogeneity of Elemental Mass Fractions in a Castor Leaf (Ricinus communis L.) Reference Material
Altemar da Cruz Luciano1, Adriana Costa Ferreira2, Geovani Cardoso Brandão1
1Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Departamento de Ciências Exatas e da Terra, Grupo de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento em Química Analítica, 41150-000 Salvador, BA, Brazil.
Background:
Certified reference materials (CRMs) are essential for method validation, quality control, and metrological traceability in analytical chemistry. However, CRMs for plant matrices of regional relevance, such as castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) leaves, remain scarce in tropical and subtropical regions. This study addresses that gap by evaluating the homogeneity of a castor bean leaf RM candidate produced under single-laboratory conditions.
Objective:
To assess between- and within-unit homogeneity of a Ricinus communis L. leaf RM candidate for seven inorganic elements (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, P and Zn), following ISO Guide 35:2017. This study does not aim at certification or replacement of full certification procedures as specified in ISO 17034:2016.
Methods:
Castor bean leaf samples were collected in Bahia, Brazil. A total of 400 g of dry material was produced, homogenized, and distributed among 20 units. Elemental mass fractions were determined by microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry (MIP OES) after acid digestion. Data were evaluated by one-way ANOVA (ISO Guide 35:2017) and principal component analysis (PCA) as a complementary exploratory tool.
Results:
A minimum sample mass of 400 mg was established as adequate for reliable homogeneity evaluation. Ten units were randomly selected for between-bottle assessment, with three subsamples per unit for within-bottle evaluation.
Conclusion:
The RM candidate was considered homogeneous for all seven elements at the 95% confidence level. PCA provided additional exploratory insights, including identification of atypical subsamples not detectable by univariate ANOVA.
Highlights:
Castor bean RM will be of great use for confirming the accuracy of methods, which will facilitate the validation of analytical methods and verification of quality control of samples of vegetable leaves or similar matrix, in addition to allowing metrological traceability.
More Related Videos
10:20Quantification of Heavy Metals and Other Inorganic Contaminants on the Productivity of Microalgae
Published on: July 10, 2015
08:43PTR-ToF-MS Coupled with an Automated Sampling System and Tailored Data Analysis for Food Studies: Bioprocess Monitoring, Screening and Nose-space Analysis
Published on: May 11, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
One-Way ANOVA
Test for Homogeneity
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)
Statistical Methods to Analyze Parametric Data: ANOVA
One-way ANOVA is applied when a single independent variable or factor is scrutinized. It compares the...