Article

The determination of trace silicon by inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectrometry in samples containing HF is inhibited by the high blank caused by attack of the quartz torch. Use of a proprietary commercial amine to neutralize the HF and increase the pH to between 7 and 7.5 allows the simultaneous determination of silicon and other impurities in zirconium or zircaloy samples. The determination of silicon in steels requires the addition of an auxiliary complexing agent to the amine solution to prevent precipitation of iron(III). The analytical results obtained for several Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) with and without the amine reagent agree well with one another, and also with the certified values.Key words: silicon, zirconium, zirconium alloys, steel, amine neutralization.