Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) is a technique that uses a plasma as a source for optical emission analysis of cations and some anions (S and P) in inorganic solutions on the ppm level. The sample is nebulized and introduced into the plasma (6000–8000 K) as an aerosol, resulting in an excitation of the sample atoms and ions and consequently, emission of element-specific radiation.
The emitted radiation is diffracted into its spectral components in the optical system and the intensity is measured using a CCD detector. After processing the signal intensities of the analyzed elements concentrations are evaluated by the Smart Analyzer software.