Samples Containing Beryllium

Organic Matrices

This includes a wide variety of materials including greases, petroleum matrices, coal, organic plant material, biological material, synthetic organics, etc. Samples can be digested with sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, or sulfuric/nitric/perchloric. See the following article for more detailed information: Acid Digestions of Organic Samples.

The sulfuric peroxide procedure is as follows:

1. Add a 0.1 gram sample to a 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask.
2. Add 5 milliliters of 98% sulfuric acid.
3. Heat until dense white fumes form. Sample will be dark in color.
4. Add 30% hydrogen peroxide drop-wise until solution clears.
5. Continue heating until solution remains clear with dense white fumes and does not revert back to a dark color.
6. Remove from heat. Cool and dilute to desired volume with 18 megohm water.

It is also very acceptable to dry ash organic samples for Be analysis in a Pt crucible and then bring the resulting BeO into solution with one of the acids or fusion suggested above. It is important to keep the ashing temperature at 450 °C. The high temperature-ignited BeO is very difficult to dissolve with acids. For more information, see the portion of our Trace Analysis Guide that discusses Ashing.

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