Determination of boron, beryllium and lithium in coal ash and geological materials by spark optical emission spectrometry

A method is described for the accurate and precise determination of boron, beryllium and lithium in coal ash and geological materials by a point-to-plane high-voltage spark optical emission spectrometric technique. A 200-mg sample is crushed and blended with graphite, copper oxide internal standard and cellulose powders, and briquetted. Synthetic calibration standards are prepared from spectrographically pure materials blended into graphite. Corrections are made for spectral interference by iron and silicon on boron. Accurate results are presented for certified reference materials. The precision of the method, about 5%, is superior to that obtained by d.c. arc optical emission.