Slurry nebulization technique has been applied for elemental analysis of
plant leaves by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICPAES).
The procedure based on dispersing the sample powder (particle size <32
μm) in a dispersing agent (Triton X-100) in an acidic medium, followed by
direct nebulization of the suspension into the ICP. The procedure was applied
for the determination of Ba, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, Ti & Zn in fourteen
plant leaves samples. Recoveries were determined by comparing the results
obtained using slurry nebulization with results for elemental determination
using acid digests of the samples. The procedure yields recovery varies between
85.7% to 99.5% for the most elements.