Determination of 10 Trace Elements in Radix Astragali by Microwave Digestion ICP-AES

A method based on microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry(ICP-AES)was established for simultaneous determination of ten trace elements(K,P,Ca,Mg,Fe,Sn,Mn,Cu,Zn,Cr) in radix astragali.The samples were digested by microwave digester with HNO3 and H2O2 as digestion agent,optimal conditions for microwave digestion and working parameter of ICP-AES were established.Analytic linearity,precision and recovery rates were measured as well to optimize the analytical method.Good linearity of the standard curves for the ten elements was obtained,the recovery obtained by determining reference matter were 89.7%—112.8%,and the relative standard deviations (RSD) were lower than 5.0%.The recovery obtained by standard addition method were 90.4%—107.0%,and RSD were lower than 5.0% likewise.Good precision and accuracy proved the method of ICP-AES combining microwave digestion to be a rapid and precise one for determining the 10 elements.The radix astragali was rich in trace elements such as K,P,Ca,Mg,Fe,Sn.The relationship between the essential trace elements and its particularly medical effects were discussed.