Simultaneous determination of arsenic, cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and zinc in fertilizers by microwave acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry detection: single-laboratory validation of a modification and extension of AOAC 2006.03.

A single-laboratory validation study was conducted for the simultaneous determination of arsenic, cadmium, calcium, cobalt, copper, chromium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and zinc in all major types of commercial fertilizer products by microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy analysis. This validation study proposes an extension and modification of AOAC 2006.03. The extension is the inclusion of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, and zinc, and the modification is incorporation of hydrochloric acid in the digestion system. This dual acid digestion utilizes both hydrochloric and nitric acids in a 3 to 9 mL volume ratio/100 mL. In addition to 15 of the 30 original validation materials used in the 2006.03 collaborative study, National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 695 and Magruder 2009-06 were incorporated as accuracy materials. The main benefits of this proposed method are a significant increase in laboratory efficiency when compared to the use of both AOAC Methods 965.09 and 2006.03 to achieve the same objective and an enhanced recovery of several metals.

Determination of phosphorus in fertilizers by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

An inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) method was developed for the determination of phosphorus in fertilizers. Total phosphorus, direct extraction available phosphorus (EDTA), and water-soluble phosphorus, reported as phosphorus pentoxide (P205), in 15 Magruder check fertilizers were measured by ICP-AES, and the results were compared with those obtained by the AOAC official method. Five analytical wavelengths of phosphorus, 177.499, 178.287, 213.618, 214.914, and 253.565 nm, were tested for the determination of phosphorus in fertilizers, and their detection limits were obtained. Acid effects of perchloric acid and possible matrix effects of aluminum, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium were negligible for phosphorus determination. Wavelength 213.618 nm was the best analytical wavelength for phosphorus determination by all 3 sample preparation methods for the selected Magruder fertilizers. The results demonstrated that the accuracy and precision of the ICP-AES method were comparable with those of the official methods.