Multielement analysis of small plant tissue samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) offers excellent poss ibilities for multielement trace analysis of biological material. In the pr esent study, analytical method was developed for the determination of essen tial elements in small plant tissue samples. Sample preparation was perform ed with closed-vessel microwave digestion. Oriental Tobacco Leaves CTA-OTL- 1 (ICHTJ, Poland) were used as the standard reference material (SRM) and rh odium was applied in ICP-MS as an internal standard element in the multiele ment aqueous solutions and sample solutions. For most analytes, recoveries from the SRM were 95% to 105%. The method developed was successfully applie d for the trace element study of 30 barley tissue samples (8-30 mg). The de tection limits ranged (except for Ca) from 0.02 mu g/g (Cs) to 1.1 mu g/g ( K) from leaves and roots. The differences in element concentrations between individual plant samples were large compared to the relative standard devi ation (RSD) of the results obtained. Small changes in the element compositi on, induced by modelling external effects on nutrient uptake by blocking th e plants K-channels, were observed by ICP-MS mea (sic).