Elemental Analysis Using NMR: Simultaneous Determination of Aluminum and Sodium in Zeolite a Using Low-Field NMR

Abstract

The standard methods for elemental analysis of aluminum and sodium in zeolites typically require significant sample and reagent preparation before the final titrimetric or atomic spectroscopic measurement. Low-resolution, bench top nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has shown important applications for rapid quantitative analysis of hydrogen and/or fluorine containing materials without sample preparation in the food, chemical, and polymer industries. Here we demonstrate the determination of aluminum and sodium in zeolite A without sample preparation by using multinuclear, low-field NMR. The simultaneous determination of aluminum and sodium can be performed in under five minutes with a precision of ∼ 1% relative. The method, calibration, data collection, and significant other applications are discussed.