Simultaneous Determination of Trace Lead and Chromium in Water Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Paper Substrate

Toxic metals such as lead and chromium in aqueous solutions have been analyzed simultaneously by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), in which the ordinary printing paper is used as a liquid absorber which was immerged into Pb(NO₃)₂ and Cr(NO₃)₃ aqueous solution to enrich the heavy metals. This method overcomes the drawbacks of splashing and low sensitivity in ordinary LIBS analysis of water, in which a laser beam is directly focused on a liquid surface. A good signal intensity and reproducibility has been demonstrated. The Pb 405.78 nm and Cr 427.48 nm spectral lines are used as the analytical lines. The variation of line intensity with immersion time was investigated. The calibration curve for quantitative measurement of Pb and Cr in water was established, and the detection limits are 0.033 mg/L and 0.026 mg/L respectively, which is about 2-3 orders of magnitude better than that in the ordinary LIBS analysis of heavy metal in solution.