Simultaneous Measurement of the Elemental Content and Size of Airborne Particles by Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometry Combined with the Laser Light-Scattering Method

Abstract

A system has been developed which can simultaneously determine the size of individual airborne particles and the content of a given element in them. An aerosol sample was passed through a laser light-scattering cell in order to measure the size of individual particles. It was then introduced into an inductively coupled plasma in order to determine the given-element content of each of the individual particles by emission spectrometry. The scattered light signal from each particle was compared with its atomic emission signal, appeared at a certain time lag. A number of pairs of both signal heights were plotted on a computer display showing the relation between the particle size and the content of the element. The measurement of a sample of monodisperse calcium acetate aerosol produced a relatively concentrated plot, while that of a polydisperse calcium acetate aerosol produced a linearly distributed plot.