Sample destruction for classical elemental analysis

Trends in element analysis are multi-element (survey) analysis, lower concentration levels, micro/local element analysis and speciation (coupling with chromatography). An overview of the determination of elements in polymeric materials is available [7], Reviews on sample preparation for trace analysis are given in refs [8-10]. Quality assurance of analytical data in routine elemental analysis has been discussed [11], Organic analysis is obviously much more requested in relation to polymer/additive matrices than elemental analysis. 

Destructive solid sample preparation methods, such as digestion and mineralisation, are well known as they have been around for some time they are relatively cheap and well documented [13-15]. Decomposition of a substance or a mixture of substances does not refer so much to the dissolution, but rather to the conversion of slightly soluble substances into acid- or water-soluble (ionogenic) compounds (chemical dissolution). 

This involves a chemical change. It is required that any decomposition procedure should alter the original environment of the sample into a digest, i.e. a solution in which the analyte is distributed homogeneously. More specific conditions set to a decomposition technique are [4]  

Decomposition and dissolution processes are generally subject to fairly large sources of error, namely  

The analyst s requirements to digestion procedures are given in Table 8.3. 

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