The measurement of phosphorus in low alloy steels by electrochemical methods

The oscillo – polarographic method reported by Chen for the determination of phosphorus in silicates, iron ores, carbonates and tea leaves has been thoroughly studied and enhanced in view of the determination of P in various steels. Together with a carefully selected sample dissolution method, the chromatographic separation reported by Hanada et al. for eliminating the matrix has also been examined. The results of these investigations allowed finding out a path towards the successful electrochemical measurement of P in low alloy ferritic steels without eliminating the matrix. The limit of detection is 5.2 μg.g-1 in the metal. The precision ranges between 5 and 15 % relative to the mean measured values. The finely tuned method has been successfully validated using five NIST standard steels. The chromatographic method remains an option for addressing other metals in the future, should they contain unacceptable levels of possibly interfering elements.. Detailed experimental procedures are given.