| MadSci Network: Chemistry |
Hello Yan, I am pleased to hear that someone is learning to perform wet chemical analysis on steels. It is a skill that is rapidly becoming a lost art. Arc and spark emission, inductively coupled plasma, X-Ray and atomic absorption spectroscopy are all commonly used analytical methods in the steel industry. It has become common practice to use one instrumental technique to calibrate another. Very often, getting the entire sample to disolve into solution is the hardest part of the analysis. For gravimetric analysis, the element of interest must be separated, or else the menthod is not specific and other elements will interfere. The best source for the information you require is the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ASTM methods E350 through E354 describe the accepted methods for wet chemical analysis of various types of steels. You will probably need copies of all of the methods, as they often refer to each other for specific elemental analysis methods. The ASTM methods are published yearly in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, which should be available at most university libraries. Bob Novak Specialist - Process R&D Carpenter Technology
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Chemistry.