Investigation of Ni hyperaccumulation by true elemental imaging

The newly implemented Dynamic Analysis method for on-line elemental imaging was used to study Ni hyperaccumulation in Senecio coronatus (Thunb.) Harv. Asteraceae, one of only nine Ni hyperaccumulating plants found in the African continent. Elemental maps were obtained from samples with thicknesses varying from 0.4 to 5 mg/cm ² by assuming cellulose (C ₆H ₁₀O ₅) as constant matrix composition for the whole scanned area. The agreement between point analyses and results inferred from maps is good for small thickness variations within scanned regions. Maps of very inhomogeneous samples require a more time-consuming approach of thickness corrections in every pixel.