BS ISO 14869-2:2002

Soil quality. Dissolution for the determination of total element content. Dissolution by alkaline fusion | Status: Confirmed, Current

1 Scope This part of ISO 14869 specifies a method for the dissolution of total contents for the following elements in soils: Na, K, Mg, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Al, Si. This list is not exhaustive, and other elements are applicable for determination, provided

• — they are not lost during the fusion process,
• — w > (3 d · V/m) where w is the mass content of the element, expressed in milligrams per kilogram soil, d is the detection limit, in milligrams per litre, for the element and analytical method considered, 3 is a conventional factor, V is the adjusted volume, in litres, of the final solution containing the dissolved sample, and m is the mass of the test portion, in kilograms,
• — the determination is not adversely affected by the high salt concentration in the resultant solution.

The flux proposed in this method is suitable for a wide range of materials, among which soil samples are relatively easy to deal with.