Determination of Pt and Pd in spent Al_2O_3 catalyst by ICP-AES

A new method for the determination of Pt and Pd in the spent Al 2O 3 catalyst by ICP AES was established. The operation parameters of ICP AES, the dissolution of samples, the effects of inorganic acid, the influence of matrix and coexisting elements were tested. The results indicated that the platinum and palladium could be determined directly with calibration curve method by ICP AES without matrix matching in 5% HCl medium. The detection limits were 0.1 μg/mL for Pt, and 0.045 μg/mL for Pd. The recovery was 95.2%～105.5% for Pt, and 95.3%～100.6% for Pd. The RSD were 9%. The method was applied to determine Pt and Pd in spent Al 2O 3 catalyst with satisfactory results.