The elemental profile of river sediments provides valuable insight into the

health

of a river, as well as the wider environment. Some elements that are

essential for the ecology of the river at trace levels e.g. manganese, copper

and zinc, can be toxic at high concentrations.

Traditionally, the concentration of elements in river sedi

ments is determined

via Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (FAAS). This technique has the

drawback of requiring expensive and hazardous gases such as acetylene

and nitrous oxide and also requires element

-

specific sample preparation that

adds time and

cost to the analysis.

The novel Agilent 4200 Microwave Plasma

-

Atomic Emission Spectrometer

(MP

-

AES) is the ideal alternative for laboratories looking to transition

away from FAAS to a higher performance, lower cost and safer technique.

MP

-

AES is a fast sequential, multielement analytical technique that uses a

microwave

-

induced nitrogen

-

based plasma for sample excitation. The use

of nitrogen eliminates the need for acetylene and nitrous oxide, which can