Abstract
Spark source mass spectrometry has been used for the analysis of high purity copper wires taken from electrical cables. The characteristic elements were in the concentration range 0·1 to 35 ppm, with Ag, Fe, Pb and Zn being most prominent. The elements Mn, Ni, As, Se, Sb and Bi were also frequently detectable. The precision of determination was in the region of 18 per cent and calibration using the silver concentration, determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, permitted the calculation of absolute concentrations of some of the impurities.
A survey of 20 modern British cables established the experimental and sample variations within and between various electrical conductors. A mathematical routine for comparing the multi-elemental concentrations permitted the objective comparison of cable samples. A criterion for testing for similarity was established and the discriminating power for the pairs of different samples in the survey was estimated to be 0·96. The effect of using data for a limited number of elements, which can be determined by other methods, is discussed.
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