INFRARED AND ATOMIC SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF THE MINERAL-COMPOSITION OF A SERIES OF EQUINE SABULOUS MATERIAL SAMPLES AND URINARY CALCULI

Atomic spectrometry has been used in 20 samples of equine urinary sabu lous deposits in order to detect minor elements accompanying the predo minant element, calcium, which is present in the form of calcium carbo nate (calcite and/or vaterite). The elements measured have been (besid es calcium) magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron,copper and manganese. P hosphates, sulphates and silica are frequently present as minor consti tuents of equine urinary sabulous deposits and uroliths, but their det ection can be difficult by infrared (IR) spectroscopy in the original samples due to overlapping with the bands of calcium carbonate. For th at reason, the calcination residues of six urinary calculi and 33 samp les of sabulous material have been studied by IR spectroscopy and ener gy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The results confirm the presence o f the above mentioned minor constituents in most samples studied.