Development of open-air type electrolyte-as-cathode glow discharge-atomic emission spectrometry for determination of trace metals in water

The open-air type electrolyte cathode atomic glow discharge (ELCAD) has been developed and studied for fundamental and analytical applications for determination of trace heavy metals in water. The normal closed-type discharge cell shows some problems such as unstable plasma due to changes in the pressure inside the cell during the discharge, and water vapor condensing onto the window. Applying approximately 1500 V to the several-millimeter gap between the electrolyte solution cathode and a Pt rod anode in atmospheric air pressure produced a stable plasma and significantly improved sensitivity. The emission spectrum of de-ionized water containing 100 mg/l Cu was measured and some emission lines were found from Cu I (324.7 nm, 327.4 nm and 510.5 nm) and Cu II (224.7 nm and 229.4 nm). The LODs of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn are in the ranges from 0.01 mg/l to 0.6 mg/l. The LODs of Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn improve by approximately one order of magnitude compared to the previous closed-type ELCAD.