Quantification in trace and ultratrace analyses using glow discharge techniques: round robin test on pure copper materials

Abstract

A round robin analysis using two grades of pure copper sample was performed with the participation of 10 different laboratories with 11 different instrument set-ups. The goal of the interlaboratory study was to investigate the analytical performance and quantification methods for the technologies GD-OES and GD-MS. GD-OES was employed in the study of the sample with high impurities only, while GD-MS results were evaluated for the trace element concentrations in both samples. Data and additional information were collected from all participating laboratories. A comparison of selected elements regarding interlaboratory variation and correlation to certified values is shown. ANOVA statistics were performed using original GD-MS data and showed high uniformity of data. A further improvement in uniformity is demonstrated by using a common set of relative sensitivity factors.