Latent Impurities in Electrodes used for Spectrographic Research

Abstract

IT has often been pointed out that for accurate results in quantitative spectrographic analysis, the standards of known composition, against whose spectra that of the specimen to be analysed is matched, should be made up on a base that simulates as closely as possible the composition of the specimen. This necessity arises from the fact that the intensity of the spectrum shown by a minor constituent of a mixture depends not only on the concentration of the element in question, but also on the nature of the major constituents. It has been shown, for example, that in the case of dilute solutions of lead salts, the lead lines are much stronger if the solution contains a considerable amount of zinc¹.