Interest in the determination of elemental impurities in pharmaceuticals has increased in recent ... more Interest in the determination of elemental impurities in pharmaceuticals has increased in recent years because of changes in regulatory requirements and the need for changing or updating the current limit tests recommended in pharmacopeias. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission spectrometry and ICP mass spectrometry are suitable alternatives to perform multielemental analysis for this purpose. The main advantages and limitations of these techniques are described, covering the applications reported in the literature in the last 10 years mainly for active pharmaceutical ingredients, raw materials, and pharmaceutical dosage forms. Strategies used for sample preparation, including dissolution in aqueous or organic solvents, extraction, wet digestion and combustion methods are described, as well as direct solid analysis and ICP-based systems applied for speciation analysis. Interferences observed during the analysis of pharmaceutical products using ICP-based methods are discussed. Methods currently recommended by pharmacopeias for elemental impurities are also covered, showing that the use of ICP-based methods could be considered as a trend in the determination of these impurities in pharmaceuticals. However, the development of a general method that is accurate for all elemental impurities and the establishment of an official method are still challenges. In this regard, the main drawbacks and suitable alternatives are discussed.
Iodine determination in food samples was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometr... more Iodine determination in food samples was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC). Sample masses up to 500 mg of bovine liver, corn starch, milk powder, or wheat flour were completely combusted using the MIC system. Ammonium nitrate (6 mol l(-1) solution, 50 μl) was used as an aid for ignition and vessels were charged with 15 bar of O(2). The use of H(2)O, 0.9 mmol l(-1) H(2)O(2), 10 to 50 mmol l(-1) (NH(4))(2)CO(3) and 56 mmol l(-1) tetramethylammonium hydroxide was investigated as absorbing solutions, as well as the suitability of performing a reflux step after the combustion process. Digestion of food samples by pressurized microwave-assisted acid digestion, microwave-assisted extraction and conventional extraction of iodine in alkaline solution were also evaluated. Iodine recoveries higher than 99% were obtained using MIC and 50 mmol l(-1) (NH(4))(2)CO(3) or 56 mmol l(-1) tetramethylammonium hydroxide as absorbing solution and with 5 min for the reflux step. Accuracy was evaluated using certified reference materials (bovine muscle, corn bran, and milk powder) and agreement better than 97% was obtained. The limit of quantification by MIC and further ICP-MS determination was 0.002 µg g(-1). Blanks were always low and no memory effects were observed. Digestion by MIC allowed the processing of up to eight samples by each run in 25 min with high efficiency of digestion (residual carbon content lower than 1%) providing a suitable medium for further iodine determination by ICP-MS.
In this work a green digestion method which only used H2O2 as an oxidant and high temperature and... more In this work a green digestion method which only used H2O2 as an oxidant and high temperature and pressure in the single reaction chamber system (SRC-UltraWave™) was applied for subsequent elemental determination by inductively coupled plasma-based techniques. Milk powder was chosen to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of the proposed method. Samples masses up to 500mg were efficiently digested, and the determination of Ca, Fe, K, Mg and Na was performed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), while trace elements (B, Ba, Cd, Cu, Mn, Mo, Pb, Sr and Zn) were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Residual carbon (RC) lower than 918mgL(-1) of C was obtained for digests which contributed to minimizing interferences in determination by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Accuracy was evaluated using certified reference materials NIST 1549 (non-fat milk powder certified reference material) and NIST 8435 (whole milk powder reference ma...
The concentration of bromine and iodine was determined in shrimp and its parts (tissue and shells... more The concentration of bromine and iodine was determined in shrimp and its parts (tissue and shells), and changes in the analyte concentration were evaluated after the cooking procedure. Bromine and iodine concentrations were determined by a method recently developed by our research group based on microwave-induced combustion for sample preparation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for analyte determination. The accuracy was evaluated using a reference material (NIST 8414) that was digested using the proposed method. No statistical difference was observed between certified and determined values (Student's t test, 95% confidence level). Suitable limits of detection (Br, 0.02 μg g(-1) and I, 0.01 μg g(-1)) were obtained for both analytes. Higher concentrations of both analytes were observed in shrimp shells in comparison to shrimp tissue for raw and cooked samples. Moreover, losses of Br and I (between 24 and 43%) were observed after cooking.
A procedure for light and heavy crude oils digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC) is pro... more A procedure for light and heavy crude oils digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC) is proposed for the first time for further rare earth elements (REE) determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) equipped with an ultrasonic nebulizer (USN). Samples of crude oil (API density of 10.8-23.5, up to 250 mg) were inserted in polycarbonate capsules and combusted using 20 bar of oxygen and 50 μL of 6 mol L(-1) ammonium nitrate as igniter. Nitric acid solutions (1-14.4 mol L(-1)) were evaluated for analyte absorption and a reflux step was applied after combustion (5 min of microwave irradiation at 1400 W) in order to achieve better analyte recoveries. Accuracy was evaluated using a spiked sample and also by comparison of results obtained by microwave-assisted digestion combined to ultraviolet radiation (MW-UV) and by neutron activation analysis (NAA). Using 3 mol L(-1) HNO3, quantitative recoveries (better than 97%) were obtained for all analytes. Blank valu...
Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 2014
ABSTRACT A systematic study was performed for the determination of inorganic contaminants in poly... more ABSTRACT A systematic study was performed for the determination of inorganic contaminants in polymeric waste from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) for achieving an efficient digestion to minimize interferences in determination using plasma-based techniques. The determination of As, Br, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and also by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) was carried out after digestion using microwave-induced combustion (MIC). Arsenic and Hg were determined by flow-injection chemical vapor generation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (FI-CVG-ICP-MS). Dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (DRC-ICP-MS) with ammonia was also used for Cr determination. The suitability of MIC for digestion of sample masses up to 400 mg was demonstrated using microcrystalline cellulose as aid for combustion of polymers from waste of EEEs that usually contain flame retardants that impair the combustion. The composition and concentration of acid solutions (HNO3 or HNO3 plus HCl) were evaluated for metals and metalloids and NH4OH solutions were investigated for Br absorption. Accuracy was evaluated by comparison of results with those obtained using high pressure microwave-assisted wet digestion (HP-MAWD) and also by the analysis of certified reference material (CRM) of polymer (EC680k—low-density polyethylene). Bromine determination was only feasible using digestion by MIC once losses were observed when HP-MAWD was used. Lower limits of detection were obtained for all analytes using MIC (from 0.005 μg g− 1 for Co by ICP-MS up to 3.120 μg g −1 for Sb by ICP OES) in comparison to HP-MAWD due to the higher sample mass that can be digested (400 mg) and the use of diluted absorbing solutions. The combination of HNO3 and HCl for digestion showed to be crucial for quantitative recovery of some elements, as Cr and Sb. In addition, suitable agreement of Cr to CRM value was only obtained by mixing NH4Cl to samples before combustion. No statistical difference (95% confidence level) was observed between the results obtained for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn by MIC and HP-MAWD methods. Agreement with certified values was better than 96% using MIC for all inorganic contaminants. Particularly for Br, MIC was the method of choice for digestion due to the possibility of using diluted alkaline solutions for analyte absorption. Based on the obtained results, MIC can be considered as a suitable method for digestion of polymers from waste of EEEs for further plasma based determination of inorganic contaminants.
In this work a method for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) digestion using the single rea... more In this work a method for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) digestion using the single reaction chamber (SRC-UltraWave(TM)) system was proposed following the new recommendations of United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Levodope (LEVO), primaquine diphosphate (PRIM), propranolol hydrochloride (PROP) and sulfamethoxazole (SULF) were used to evaluate the digestion efficiency of the proposed method. A comparison of digestion efficiency was performed by measuring the carbon content and residual acidity in digests obtained using SRC and in digests obtained using conventional microwave-assisted digestion system (Multiwave(TM)). Three digestion solutions (concentrated HNO3, aqua regia or inverse aqua regia) were evaluated for digestion of APIs. The determination of Cd, Ir, Mn, Mo, Ni, Os, Pb, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru was performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in standard mode. Dynamic reaction cell (DRC) mode was used for the determination of (51)V, (52)Cr, (53)Cr, (63)Cu and (65)Cu in order to solve polyatomic ion interferences. Arsenic and Hg were determined using chemical vapor generation coupled to ICP-MS (FI-CVG-ICP-MS). Masses of 500mg of APIs were efficiently digested in a SRC-UltraWave(TM) system using only HNO3 and allowing a carbon content lower than 250mgL(-1) in final digests. Inverse aqua regia was suitable for digestion of sample masses up to 250mg allowing the determination of Ir, Pd, Pt, Rh and Ru. By using HNO3 or inverse aqua regia, suitable recoveries were obtained (between 91 and 109%) for all analytes (exception for Os). Limits of quantification were in agreement with USP requirements and they ranged from 0.001 to 0.015µgg(-1) for all elemental impurities (exception for Os). The proposed method was suitable for elemental impurities determination in APIs and it can be used in routine analysis for quality control in pharmaceutical industries.
ABSTRACT A novel procedure based on ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization was applied for... more ABSTRACT A novel procedure based on ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization was applied for diesel oil treatment, which was performed simultaneously to ultrasound-assisted oxidative denitrogenation (UAODN) in order to minimize N interference over S oxidation. The effect of ultrasonic irradiation time, reagent amount and the nature of extraction solvent were evaluated. A petroleum product feedstock containing quinoline was used as a model nitrogen compound and acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide were used as oxidizing agents. Nitrogen removal above 95% was obtained for the model oil after 5 min of ultrasonic irradiation (20 kHz, 750 W, 40%). Additionally, this study showed that quinoline can reduce the oxidative desulfurization efficiency of an oil containing dibenzothiophene. The application of oxidative treatment without ultrasound showed that nitrogen and sulfur removal efficiencies for five diesel oil samples were considerably lower (lower than 22 and 40% for nitrogen and sulfur, respectively). The UAODN procedure was applied for the treatment of a hydrotreated petroleum product feedstock and samples of diesel oil with nitrogen and sulfur content up to 226 and 375 mg kg(-1), respectively. Under optimized conditions, nitrogen content below 20 mg kg(-1) was obtained and the feasibility of ultrasound for simultaneous denitrogenation and desulfurization was demonstrated.
The advantages and shortcomings of focused microwave-induced combustion (FMIC) for digestion of p... more The advantages and shortcomings of focused microwave-induced combustion (FMIC) for digestion of plant samples were studied. The effects of sample mass, absorbing solution, oxygen gas flow-rate, and time of reflux step on recoveries of major, minor and trace metals were systematically evaluated. Afterwards, Al, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mn, Ni, Sr, V, and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) and by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The main advantages of FMIC when compared to microwave-assisted wet digestion (MAWD) and focused-microwave-assisted wet digestion (FMAWD) are the possibility to digest larger masses of samples (up to 3g) using shorter heating times and diluted nitric acid solution for absorbing all analytes. Using the selected experimental conditions for FMIC, residual carbon content was lower than 0.7% for all samples and relative standard deviation (RSD) varied from 1.5 to 14.1%. Certified reference materials (NIST 1515 apple leaves and NIST 1547 peach leaves) were used for checking accuracy and determined values for all metals were in agreement with certified values at a 95% confidence level. No statistical difference (ANOVA, 95% of confidence level) was observed for results obtained by FMIC, FMAWD, and MAWD. Limits of detection were lower when using FMIC in the range of 0.02-0.15 μg g(-1) for ICP OES and 0.001-0.01 μg g(-1) for ICP-MS, which were about 3 and 6 times lower than the values obtained by FMAWD and MAWD, respectively. It is important to point out that FMIC was a suitable sample preparation method for major, minor and trace metals by both determination techniques (ICP OES and ICP-MS). Additionally, since it allows lower LODs (because up to 3g of sample can be digested) and diluted acid solutions are used (without any further dilution), the use of ICP-MS is not mandatory.
Interest in the determination of elemental impurities in pharmaceuticals has increased in recent ... more Interest in the determination of elemental impurities in pharmaceuticals has increased in recent years because of changes in regulatory requirements and the need for changing or updating the current limit tests recommended in pharmacopeias. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission spectrometry and ICP mass spectrometry are suitable alternatives to perform multielemental analysis for this purpose. The main advantages and limitations of these techniques are described, covering the applications reported in the literature in the last 10 years mainly for active pharmaceutical ingredients, raw materials, and pharmaceutical dosage forms. Strategies used for sample preparation, including dissolution in aqueous or organic solvents, extraction, wet digestion and combustion methods are described, as well as direct solid analysis and ICP-based systems applied for speciation analysis. Interferences observed during the analysis of pharmaceutical products using ICP-based methods are discussed. Methods currently recommended by pharmacopeias for elemental impurities are also covered, showing that the use of ICP-based methods could be considered as a trend in the determination of these impurities in pharmaceuticals. However, the development of a general method that is accurate for all elemental impurities and the establishment of an official method are still challenges. In this regard, the main drawbacks and suitable alternatives are discussed.
Iodine determination in food samples was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometr... more Iodine determination in food samples was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC). Sample masses up to 500 mg of bovine liver, corn starch, milk powder, or wheat flour were completely combusted using the MIC system. Ammonium nitrate (6 mol l(-1) solution, 50 μl) was used as an aid for ignition and vessels were charged with 15 bar of O(2). The use of H(2)O, 0.9 mmol l(-1) H(2)O(2), 10 to 50 mmol l(-1) (NH(4))(2)CO(3) and 56 mmol l(-1) tetramethylammonium hydroxide was investigated as absorbing solutions, as well as the suitability of performing a reflux step after the combustion process. Digestion of food samples by pressurized microwave-assisted acid digestion, microwave-assisted extraction and conventional extraction of iodine in alkaline solution were also evaluated. Iodine recoveries higher than 99% were obtained using MIC and 50 mmol l(-1) (NH(4))(2)CO(3) or 56 mmol l(-1) tetramethylammonium hydroxide as absorbing solution and with 5 min for the reflux step. Accuracy was evaluated using certified reference materials (bovine muscle, corn bran, and milk powder) and agreement better than 97% was obtained. The limit of quantification by MIC and further ICP-MS determination was 0.002 µg g(-1). Blanks were always low and no memory effects were observed. Digestion by MIC allowed the processing of up to eight samples by each run in 25 min with high efficiency of digestion (residual carbon content lower than 1%) providing a suitable medium for further iodine determination by ICP-MS.
In this work a green digestion method which only used H2O2 as an oxidant and high temperature and... more In this work a green digestion method which only used H2O2 as an oxidant and high temperature and pressure in the single reaction chamber system (SRC-UltraWave™) was applied for subsequent elemental determination by inductively coupled plasma-based techniques. Milk powder was chosen to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of the proposed method. Samples masses up to 500mg were efficiently digested, and the determination of Ca, Fe, K, Mg and Na was performed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), while trace elements (B, Ba, Cd, Cu, Mn, Mo, Pb, Sr and Zn) were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Residual carbon (RC) lower than 918mgL(-1) of C was obtained for digests which contributed to minimizing interferences in determination by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Accuracy was evaluated using certified reference materials NIST 1549 (non-fat milk powder certified reference material) and NIST 8435 (whole milk powder reference ma...
The concentration of bromine and iodine was determined in shrimp and its parts (tissue and shells... more The concentration of bromine and iodine was determined in shrimp and its parts (tissue and shells), and changes in the analyte concentration were evaluated after the cooking procedure. Bromine and iodine concentrations were determined by a method recently developed by our research group based on microwave-induced combustion for sample preparation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for analyte determination. The accuracy was evaluated using a reference material (NIST 8414) that was digested using the proposed method. No statistical difference was observed between certified and determined values (Student's t test, 95% confidence level). Suitable limits of detection (Br, 0.02 μg g(-1) and I, 0.01 μg g(-1)) were obtained for both analytes. Higher concentrations of both analytes were observed in shrimp shells in comparison to shrimp tissue for raw and cooked samples. Moreover, losses of Br and I (between 24 and 43%) were observed after cooking.
A procedure for light and heavy crude oils digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC) is pro... more A procedure for light and heavy crude oils digestion by microwave-induced combustion (MIC) is proposed for the first time for further rare earth elements (REE) determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) equipped with an ultrasonic nebulizer (USN). Samples of crude oil (API density of 10.8-23.5, up to 250 mg) were inserted in polycarbonate capsules and combusted using 20 bar of oxygen and 50 μL of 6 mol L(-1) ammonium nitrate as igniter. Nitric acid solutions (1-14.4 mol L(-1)) were evaluated for analyte absorption and a reflux step was applied after combustion (5 min of microwave irradiation at 1400 W) in order to achieve better analyte recoveries. Accuracy was evaluated using a spiked sample and also by comparison of results obtained by microwave-assisted digestion combined to ultraviolet radiation (MW-UV) and by neutron activation analysis (NAA). Using 3 mol L(-1) HNO3, quantitative recoveries (better than 97%) were obtained for all analytes. Blank valu...
Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 2014
ABSTRACT A systematic study was performed for the determination of inorganic contaminants in poly... more ABSTRACT A systematic study was performed for the determination of inorganic contaminants in polymeric waste from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) for achieving an efficient digestion to minimize interferences in determination using plasma-based techniques. The determination of As, Br, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and also by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) was carried out after digestion using microwave-induced combustion (MIC). Arsenic and Hg were determined by flow-injection chemical vapor generation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (FI-CVG-ICP-MS). Dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (DRC-ICP-MS) with ammonia was also used for Cr determination. The suitability of MIC for digestion of sample masses up to 400 mg was demonstrated using microcrystalline cellulose as aid for combustion of polymers from waste of EEEs that usually contain flame retardants that impair the combustion. The composition and concentration of acid solutions (HNO3 or HNO3 plus HCl) were evaluated for metals and metalloids and NH4OH solutions were investigated for Br absorption. Accuracy was evaluated by comparison of results with those obtained using high pressure microwave-assisted wet digestion (HP-MAWD) and also by the analysis of certified reference material (CRM) of polymer (EC680k—low-density polyethylene). Bromine determination was only feasible using digestion by MIC once losses were observed when HP-MAWD was used. Lower limits of detection were obtained for all analytes using MIC (from 0.005 μg g− 1 for Co by ICP-MS up to 3.120 μg g −1 for Sb by ICP OES) in comparison to HP-MAWD due to the higher sample mass that can be digested (400 mg) and the use of diluted absorbing solutions. The combination of HNO3 and HCl for digestion showed to be crucial for quantitative recovery of some elements, as Cr and Sb. In addition, suitable agreement of Cr to CRM value was only obtained by mixing NH4Cl to samples before combustion. No statistical difference (95% confidence level) was observed between the results obtained for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn by MIC and HP-MAWD methods. Agreement with certified values was better than 96% using MIC for all inorganic contaminants. Particularly for Br, MIC was the method of choice for digestion due to the possibility of using diluted alkaline solutions for analyte absorption. Based on the obtained results, MIC can be considered as a suitable method for digestion of polymers from waste of EEEs for further plasma based determination of inorganic contaminants.
In this work a method for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) digestion using the single rea... more In this work a method for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) digestion using the single reaction chamber (SRC-UltraWave(TM)) system was proposed following the new recommendations of United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Levodope (LEVO), primaquine diphosphate (PRIM), propranolol hydrochloride (PROP) and sulfamethoxazole (SULF) were used to evaluate the digestion efficiency of the proposed method. A comparison of digestion efficiency was performed by measuring the carbon content and residual acidity in digests obtained using SRC and in digests obtained using conventional microwave-assisted digestion system (Multiwave(TM)). Three digestion solutions (concentrated HNO3, aqua regia or inverse aqua regia) were evaluated for digestion of APIs. The determination of Cd, Ir, Mn, Mo, Ni, Os, Pb, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru was performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in standard mode. Dynamic reaction cell (DRC) mode was used for the determination of (51)V, (52)Cr, (53)Cr, (63)Cu and (65)Cu in order to solve polyatomic ion interferences. Arsenic and Hg were determined using chemical vapor generation coupled to ICP-MS (FI-CVG-ICP-MS). Masses of 500mg of APIs were efficiently digested in a SRC-UltraWave(TM) system using only HNO3 and allowing a carbon content lower than 250mgL(-1) in final digests. Inverse aqua regia was suitable for digestion of sample masses up to 250mg allowing the determination of Ir, Pd, Pt, Rh and Ru. By using HNO3 or inverse aqua regia, suitable recoveries were obtained (between 91 and 109%) for all analytes (exception for Os). Limits of quantification were in agreement with USP requirements and they ranged from 0.001 to 0.015µgg(-1) for all elemental impurities (exception for Os). The proposed method was suitable for elemental impurities determination in APIs and it can be used in routine analysis for quality control in pharmaceutical industries.
ABSTRACT A novel procedure based on ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization was applied for... more ABSTRACT A novel procedure based on ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization was applied for diesel oil treatment, which was performed simultaneously to ultrasound-assisted oxidative denitrogenation (UAODN) in order to minimize N interference over S oxidation. The effect of ultrasonic irradiation time, reagent amount and the nature of extraction solvent were evaluated. A petroleum product feedstock containing quinoline was used as a model nitrogen compound and acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide were used as oxidizing agents. Nitrogen removal above 95% was obtained for the model oil after 5 min of ultrasonic irradiation (20 kHz, 750 W, 40%). Additionally, this study showed that quinoline can reduce the oxidative desulfurization efficiency of an oil containing dibenzothiophene. The application of oxidative treatment without ultrasound showed that nitrogen and sulfur removal efficiencies for five diesel oil samples were considerably lower (lower than 22 and 40% for nitrogen and sulfur, respectively). The UAODN procedure was applied for the treatment of a hydrotreated petroleum product feedstock and samples of diesel oil with nitrogen and sulfur content up to 226 and 375 mg kg(-1), respectively. Under optimized conditions, nitrogen content below 20 mg kg(-1) was obtained and the feasibility of ultrasound for simultaneous denitrogenation and desulfurization was demonstrated.
The advantages and shortcomings of focused microwave-induced combustion (FMIC) for digestion of p... more The advantages and shortcomings of focused microwave-induced combustion (FMIC) for digestion of plant samples were studied. The effects of sample mass, absorbing solution, oxygen gas flow-rate, and time of reflux step on recoveries of major, minor and trace metals were systematically evaluated. Afterwards, Al, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mn, Ni, Sr, V, and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) and by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The main advantages of FMIC when compared to microwave-assisted wet digestion (MAWD) and focused-microwave-assisted wet digestion (FMAWD) are the possibility to digest larger masses of samples (up to 3g) using shorter heating times and diluted nitric acid solution for absorbing all analytes. Using the selected experimental conditions for FMIC, residual carbon content was lower than 0.7% for all samples and relative standard deviation (RSD) varied from 1.5 to 14.1%. Certified reference materials (NIST 1515 apple leaves and NIST 1547 peach leaves) were used for checking accuracy and determined values for all metals were in agreement with certified values at a 95% confidence level. No statistical difference (ANOVA, 95% of confidence level) was observed for results obtained by FMIC, FMAWD, and MAWD. Limits of detection were lower when using FMIC in the range of 0.02-0.15 μg g(-1) for ICP OES and 0.001-0.01 μg g(-1) for ICP-MS, which were about 3 and 6 times lower than the values obtained by FMAWD and MAWD, respectively. It is important to point out that FMIC was a suitable sample preparation method for major, minor and trace metals by both determination techniques (ICP OES and ICP-MS). Additionally, since it allows lower LODs (because up to 3g of sample can be digested) and diluted acid solutions are used (without any further dilution), the use of ICP-MS is not mandatory.
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Papers by Paola Mello