Overview
ISO 7953:1985 specifies a flame atomic absorption spectrometric (AAS) method for the determination of calcium and magnesium in manganese ores and concentrates. The procedure covers sample decomposition, preparation of test and calibration solutions, instrumental measurement and expression of results. The method is applicable to products containing Ca: 0.01–15 % (m/m) and Mg: 0.01–4 % (m/m) and is intended to be read alongside ISO 4297 (general instructions for chemical analysis).
Key topics and technical requirements
- Analytical technique: Flame AAS with specified wavelengths - Ca 422.7 nm, Mg 285.2 nm.
- Burner types: dinitrogen oxide/acetylene burner recommended for Ca; air/acetylene for Mg. (Note: use of N2O flame reduces Mg sensitivity by ~3×.)
- Sample decomposition: acid decomposition (HCl, HNO3), ignition of residues, treatment with HF and H2SO4, and fusion with a potassium carbonate/boric acid mixture when required.
- Reagents and standards: hydrochloric, nitric, hydrofluoric and sulfuric acids; lanthanum chloride background modifier (100 g/L) to reduce interferences; defined Ca (50 mg/L) and Mg (25 mg/L) standard solutions.
- Calibration and blanks: preparation of calibration sets and a zero calibration (background + lanthanum); reagent blank and a manganese-containing blank carried through all stages.
- Instrument performance criteria: minimum sensitivity (absorbance of highest calibration ≥ 0.3), calibration linearity (slope in top 20% ≥ 0.7 of bottom 20%), and stability limits (standard deviations of absorbance for concentrated and zero calibration solutions