A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry versus the Colorimetric Method of Phosphorus Analysis in Natural Water Samples

Abstract

The growing popularity ofInductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) as excellent methods ofanalysis for multiple elements has caused the National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) to consider further research into their possibilities for water analysis. As a detection method for phosphorus analysis in natural water samples, the NWQL historically employed the colorimetric method. To investigate new phosphorus detection methods, ICP-MS and ICP-AES were employed for the analysis ofphosphorus in a group of natural water samples that had previously been analyzed using the colorimetric method. Based on the compared results, the best method for phosphorus detection would be analysis using the ICP-AES instrument at a wavelength of214.914nm because it produced the results that were most similar to those obtained using the colorimetric method.