Comparison Between Flame Atomic Absorption and Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometers in The Analysis of Gold Content

Abstract

The present work aims to compare the reading techniques of Flame Atomic Absorption and Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry. A total of 10 certified samples with the gold levels specified were chosen. After quantifying the gold content in the sampels of interest, the results were transcribed into tables, where the relative error of each of the samples in relation to the certified values and the coefficient of variation of the three aliquots of each standard were also calculated. The study certified the high rate of gold recovery through the Fire Assay and revealed the better performance of MP-AES in relation to FAAS under the reading conditions established by the authors, according to the existing scientific literature. It is concluded that the MP-AES has enough potential to be an alternative, or even to replace instruments commonly used in the quantification of elements, such as gold, provided that more studies emerge to test and prove its superiority.