Trace elements in fuel oils have been analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after acid solubilization of the samples in a microwave oven. The results relative to the National Institute of Standards and Technology SRM 16341, and SRM 1619 show good accuracy and precision for about 20 elements. The detection limits are, for most of the elements, in the range 0.02-0.2 pg g-'; values that are consistent with the concentrations of metallic impurities present in fuel oils. The good agreement obtained on real samples using neutron activation analysis is a demonstration that ICP-MS can compete with a well established reference technique for the determination of trace metals in fuel oil.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.