Determination of Elemental Content in Solder Mask Samples Used in Printed Circuit Boards Using Different Spectroanalytical Techniques.

Solder masks are essential materials used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCB). This material protects PCBs against several types of damage and performance failure. In this study, the capabilities of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) were investigated for the direct analysis of solder masks typically commercialized for homemade PCB production, and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to obtain a chemical profile for the target analytes Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, and Zn.

Multi-isotope calibration for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Multi-isotope calibration (MICal) is a novel approach to calibration for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In MICal, only two calibration solutions are required: solution A, composed of 50% v v of sample and 50% v v of a standard solution containing the analytes, and solution B, composed of 50% v v of sample and 50% v v of a blank solution. MICal is based on monitoring the signal intensities of several isotopes of the same analyte in solutions A and B.

Multi-energy calibration applied to atomic spectrometry.

Multi-energy calibration (MEC) is a novel strategy that explores the capacity of several analytes of generating analytical signals at many different wavelengths (transition energies). Contrasting with traditional methods, which employ a fixed transition energy and different analyte concentrations to build a calibration plot, MEC uses a fixed analyte concentration and multiple transition energies for calibration. Only two calibration solutions are required in combination with the MEC method.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and standard dilution analysis applied to concentrated acids.

This work describes a procedure using the recently proposed standard dilution analysis (SDA) calibration method for the determination of As, Cr and Ni in concentrated HNO and HCl by inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS). Because of the low contaminant levels, and consequently low limits of detection required for these reagents (commonly used in trace element analysis and the semiconductor industry), samples were minimally diluted. The analysis of concentrated acids can result in matrix/transport effects, which may compromise accuracy in ICP-MS determinations.

Determination of lead in medicinal plants by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using direct solid sampling.

A procedure is proposed for Pb determination in medicinal plants by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GF AAS) using direct solid sampling. Among Pd(NO(3))(2), Pd/Mg(NO(3))(2), NH(4)H(2)PO(4) and the W-coated platform tested as chemical modifiers, Pd(NO(3))(2) presented the best performance. Calibration plots (10-1000 pg Pb) with regression coefficients better than 0.

Determination of total sulfur in agricultural samples by high-resolution continuum source flame molecular absorption spectrometry.

The usefulness of molecular absorption was investigated for the determination of total sulfur (S) in agricultural samples by high-resolution continuum source flame molecular absorption spectrometry. The lines for CS at 257.595, 257.