ISO 14869-2:2002 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 > (3d 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.