Multielement determination of major elements in polymer additives by microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry after microwave digestion

A method for multielement determination of major elements in polymer additives by microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MIP-AES) has been elaborated. Microwave digestion with nitric acid was selected for sample preparation because of its speed and versatility. Sodium nitrate was added to the digestion mixture in order to reduce phosphorus losses. The precision obtained varied between 2 and 4.5% depending on the element determined. The accuracy of the method was studied by analyzing the Spex 5element oil standard. The method was applied to a variety of commercial and in-house prepared compositions.