Laser Probe Excitation in Spectrochemical Analysis II: Investigation of Quantitative Aspects

Abstract

A study has been made of quantitative analysis by a laser probe with spark excitation of the sample vapor. Random errors come largely from variations in laser energy and from photometric errors. The parameters of the spark circuit affect the line intensities; however, these factors are well controlled. Correlations have been established between the energy of the laser beam, the size of the pit formed, and spectral intensities. For most purposes, single-spike laser operation has been found to be preferable to multiple-spike operation. At present, the coefficients of variation for analysis are 15% to 40%.