Determination of Oxygen in High-purity Zinc, Bismuth, Lead, Antimony and Copper by the Vacuum Fusion Method

Abstract

The determination of micro-amounts of oxygen in high-purity zinc, bismuth, lead, antimony and copper by the vacuum fusion method was performed.
For the determination of oxygen in zinc, bismuth, lead, antimony, a carbon chip-tin nickel foil bath was used. After the sample was dropped into a crucible at a temperature between 973 and 1323 K, the crucible temperature was raised to 1173–1323 K at the rate of 373 K/60 s and gases were extracted for 300 s. For the determination of oxygen in copper, the carbon chip method was applied at 1723 K. The recovery of oxygen in these metal oxides by this method was 95–100%.