Determination of Mn and Si in iron ore by laser-induced plasma spectroscopy Original Research Article

Laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIPS) has been evaluated for the analysis of manganese and silicon in iron ore using a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm. Optimal experimental conditions for analysis were evaluated, including repetition rate, number of laser sparks on sample, and laser energy. Gate delay and gate width time were also optimized to obtain the best signal to noise ratio (SNR) and precision. The manganese and silicon atomic emission lines at 403.45 and 251.6 nm were used. The results for samples applied to double-sided tape were compared to those obtained by pressing samples into pellets and no statistical differences between them were found. The precision of samples on tape for intra-measurements (precision of averages on one slide) and inter-measurements (precision of averages between slides) were studied.